Leagues of Cthulhu: Codicil

Table of contents :
Chapter One: Characters
New Skill
Hobby
New Talents
Bloodline: LeBlanc
Bloodline: Northam
Bloodline: Van der Heyl
New Leagues
The Elder Club
The Elder Race Society
The Non-Linnaean Society
Weird Science
Substratum Visualizer
Mythos Languages
New Elder Lore Discipline
Specific Languages
Manias
New Flaws
Mental
Corruption Flaws
Physical
Chapter Two: Magic & Manuscripts
Rituals
Drain Life
Mark of (Deity)
Mark of Madness
Mark of the Hound
Mark of Withering
Sign of Koth (R)
Sign of Tindalos (R)
Avatars of Nyarlathotep
Avatars of Nyarlathotep
Formulae
Eldritch Books
Book of Hidden Things
Book of Sothis
Chants of the Greenland Inuit
The Chronicle of Nath
Confessions of Form, Being the Guises of Satan as Presented by the Adversary in Person
Consort of the Green Man
Cultele Preistorice din Muntii Carpati
Dhol Chants
Genies in Arabian Folklore
The Hound in Myth and Legend
Kitab al-Asnam
* Libro Signis
* Signs
Lost Kings, the Missing Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt
Music of the Spheres
New England Folklore
Notes Concerning The Ancient One Across the Continents
Observation on the Several Parts of Africa
Of False Angles
On the Transmutation of the Ancient Fertility Cults into the Witch-Cult of Western Europe
Rituals of the Ancients
Sanguinary Cults and the Birth of the Myth of Vampires
The Serpent through History
The Snaefell Stone
The Star Gods
The Toledo Fragments
The Wars of the Heavens, being a Discourse on the Myths of Celestial Strife
The Woodman Diary
Yothic Manuscripts
Alternate Versions
Books and Rituals
Tomes & Teamwork
Trapped Tomes & Self-Activating Spells
The Name Nephren-Ka
Making a Will
Eldritch Relics
Apparatus of Yith*
Black Bottle
The Clock of All Time and Space
Conch of Dagon
Dagger of Solomon
Deep One Tiara
Dimensional Stabilizer*
Electricity Gun (Great Race)*
Fungi Brain Cylinder
The Gem
Gnoph-Keh Horn Dagger
Incense Cone, Type I*
Incense Cone, Type II*
Jade Hound
Liao*
Mythos Idol
Prima Materia
Sea Glass Amulet
Shining Trapezohedron
The Stone of Alhazred
Bloodlines: An Additional Source of Corruption
Intimidating Mythos Entities
Chapter Three: Where Darkness Dwells
Africa
Cavern of the Green Flame
The City Without Men
Library of Alexandria
Mountains of the Moon
The Americas
Akakor
Aramu Muru
Church of Starry Wisdom
Detwiller Mansion
The King House
Kingsport
- The Strange House
Lake Ontario
Merrymount
Mount Shasta
National Library
Phillipsport
Roanoke Colony
Seneca Lake
Summerfields Asylum
Asia
Baalbek
Biringan City
Enoch, City of
Kadatheron
Genies in the Mythos
Mangazeya
Mount Qaf
Mount Yamantau
Xanadu
The Mountain of Genies
Ponape
- Lost Cities of Arabia
Shrine of the Faceless Kami
Shrine of the Little Yellow God
The Tomb of Alhazred
Yemen
- Temple of Awwam
Europe
Cumbria
- Hardknott Fort
De Lancy Manor
Dunwich
Montes Serrorum
Northam House
The Northam Family
Somerset
- Bath
- Brent Knoll
- Solsbury Hill
Cup & Ring Marks
The Number Nine
Vineta
Wales
- Anglesey
- Carmarthen
Sacred Groves of Shub-Niggurath
- Carmarthen
- Coal Mines
- The Desert of Wales
- Gateholm
- St. Brides Bay
White Island Church
Windrush Farm
Ocean Floor
Other Worlds
Algol
Kynath
Kythamil
Mars
Neptune
Yaddith
Chapter Four: Gods, Monsters, and Cultists
Lesser Gods
Aelologgtho
The Fire Mist
Horrors
Child of the Fire Mist
Child of Yig
Courtier of Azathoth
Denizen of the Nameless City
Feaster from the Stars
The Hound
Serpent Man
Star-Spark (Swarm)
Tcho-Tcho
Tcho-Tcho Tribesman
Tcho-Tcho Priest
The Unnamable
Mundane Beasts
Penguin, Giant Albino
Cults
Arkham Witch-Cult
Typical Member
The Black Scorpion Brotherhood
Minerva Clarke
Typical Member
The Black Triad
Sebele
Typical Member
Bloody Order of the Sphinx
Husam al Din
Typical Member
Cult of the Black Hand
Nagisa Tehrani
Typical Member
Cult of the Red Leech
Pierre-Casimir Vermeersch
Typical Member
The Faceless
Gloriana Wimbourne
Typical Member
Illuminated Fraternity of the All-Seeing Eye
Cecil Rhodes
Typical Member
League of the Black Sun
Johnny No-Nose
Typical Member
Order of the Fisher-God
Pastor Andrew
Typical Member
Order of the Grand Pyramid of Starry Wisdom
Eliaphas Partridge
Typical Member
Priory of the Enlightened Ones
Doctor Francis Belhaven
Typical Member
The Redeemers
Silas Barrymore
Typical Member
Scandinavian Cults
Alternate
Azathoth
Nyarlathotep
Shub-Niggurath
Other Aspects of the Mythos
Servants of the Shackled Jinn
Abdulaziz
Typical Member
The Templars
The True Templar Treasure
Was the Church Complacent?
Charges Against the Order
-Trampling the Cross
-Worshipping a Bearded Head
-Creation of a New Kingdom
The Modern Templars
Mildred FitzHoward
Typical Member
Temple of Itzpapalotl
Alejandro Montes De Oca
Typical Member
The Thuggee Cult
Raja Gurusharan Gangadharan
Typical Member
Union of the Mechanical Universe
Doctor Matthijs Krijger
Typical Member
The Universal Hive
Melinda Blake
Typical Member
Yellow Sign Society
Huang Nu
Typical Member
Notable Persons
Akeley, Henry Wentworth
Allen, Zadok
Legrasse, John Raymond
Northam, Lord Arthur
The Terrible Old Man
Varnas, Vitas
Waite, Ephraim
Whipple, Dr. Elihu
Zann, Erich
Skeletons in the Closet
LeBlanc
Northam
Van der Heyl
Chapter Five: Handling the Mythos
Adding Flavor but Explaining Nothing
Alternative Names of Great Old Ones
Naming Gods & Monsters
History in the Mystery
When Gods Attack!
Die, Great Old One!
Removing a Great Old One
Themes within the Mythos
Science, Not Supernatural
The Sins of the Father
There Are Things Man Was Not Meant to Know
We Have No Purpose
Chapter Six: The Mythos through Time
Distant Past
Proterozoic Eon
Neoproterozoic Era
A Very Quick Geology Lesson
Phanerozoic Eon
Cambrian-Silurian Periods
Devonian Period
Carboniferous Period
Permian Period
Jurassic Period
Cretaceous Period
Paleogene Period
Neogene Period
Quarternary Period
A Different Science
The Moon
Continental Drift
Human Origins
Earthquakes
Humanity
The People of Mu
Zobna and Lomar
South Africa
Cimmeria
Chapter Seven: Adventure Seeds
A Tour to Madness
Art and the Mythos
Beneath the Giza Plateau
The Black Pharaoh
The Book
Deep Freeze
The Elder Ice
Flame War
Greenland by Balloon
H. P. Who?
Hunting the Hittites
The Mark
Mistaken Identity
The Music of Madness
No Skin Off My Back
The Passenger
The Recording
Silence of the News
The Specimen
The Thunderbird
They Came From the Sea
Where the Cold Wind Blows
Withering Away
Chapter Eight: Cats
Cats in Ancient Egypt
In Other Cultures
No Man May Kill a Cat
Of Cats and...
Gods
Humans
Insanity
Language
Names
Strange Senses
Water
Introduction: What is the Dreamlands?
Nature of the Dreamlands
More than One Dreamland
Recommended Stories
A Guide to Using this Book
Chapter One: Dreamers
New Motivations
Bon Vivant
Creation
Destruction
Excellence
New Skill
Dreamlands Lore
Character Generation
Improving the Skill
New Talents
Adept Dreamer
Bloodline: Boyd
Bloodline: Carter
Bloodline: Elton
Dreamlands Persona
Superior Dreamlands Persona
New Leagues
The Feline Club
The Lighthouse Club
The Morpheus Club
Languages of the Dreamlands
New Flaws
Mental
Social
New Gear
Hashish
Opium
New Weird Science
Dream Inducer
Addicted Artist
Friend to Cats
Seeker of Justice
Sample Henchmen
Author of Weird Fiction
Dreamer
Druggist
Kitten of Ulthar
Priestess of Bast
Young Ghoul
Chapter Two: Magic & Manuscripts
Entering the Dreamlands
Other Methods
Overlapping Areas
The White Ship
Maximum Length of Visit
Exiting
Death in the Dreamlands
Taking & Returning with Items
Shaping the Dreamlands
Creation Anew
Forming the Dream
Affixing the Dream
Technological Base
Limits to Reshaping
Eldritch Magic
Mark of Hypnos
Nightmare
Eldritch Books
Brick Cylinders of Kadatheron
The Enigma of Leng
Pnakotic Manuscripts
Seven Cryptical Books of Hsan
Zakarion Papyrus
Eldritch Relics
Dream Dust*
Lens of Hsan
Moon-Tree Wine
The Silver Key
Chapter Three: Gazetteer of the Dreamlands
Entrance
Cavern of Flame
The East
Ilek-Vad
The Rock with no Name
Serannian
Zakarion
Skeletons in the Closet
Boyd
Carter
Elton
The North
Inquanok
The Great Quarry
Urg
Kadath
Plateau of Leng
Monastery of Leng
Pharos of Leng
Sarkomand
The South
Oriab
Baharna
Lake Yoth
Mount Ngranek
Sona-Nyl
Thalarion
Xura
Zar, Land of
The West
Aira
Basalt Pillars of the West
Cathuria
Dylath-Leen
Black Galleys
Enchanted Wood
Hatheg-Kla & Hatheg
Hlanith
Kiran
Kled, Jungles of
Oonai
Parg
Sunken City
Teloth
Thran
Ulthar
The Underworld
Kingdom of the Gugs
Vaults of Zin
Peaks of Throk
Plain of Ghouls
Vale of Pnoth
The Moon
Dark Side of the Moon
City of the Moon Beasts
Shadow Locales
Other Places
Chapter Four: Inhabitants of the Dreamlands
Gods
Bast
Nodens
Horrors
Bhole
Ghast
Ghoul
Gug
Hunting Horror
Man of Leng
Moon Beast
Other God from Outside
Shantak-bird
Spider of Leng
Zoog
Cults
Typical Member
Natalie Jones
Notable Persons
Atal
Captain of the White Ship
High-Priest Not to be Described
Kuranes
Nasht & Kaman-Thah
Lesser Persons
Burghers of Ulthar
Old Kranon
Nith the Notary
Shang the Blacksmith
Thul the Stonecutter
Zath the Coroner
Animals
Cat of Ulthar
Cat of Ulthar
Lorekeeper
Cat Officer

Citation preview

Leagues of Cthulhu Codicil by

Mr. Paul “Wiggy” Wade-Williams

Contributors: Anthony Boyd, Ken Richter, Vitas Varnas Lead Editor: Anthony Boyd Graphic Design: Robin Elliott Typesetting: Paul Wade-Williams Cover Illustration: Michael Syrigos Interior Illustrations: Andy Paciorek Ubiquity Rules System Design: Jeff Combos

www . t r i p l e ac e ga m es . c om

First Published 2019 xxxxxxx 1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2 Printed in the USA This game uses the Ubiquity Roleplaying System, developed by Exile Game Studio (www. exilegames.com). Ubiquity Roleplaying System, Exile Game Studio, and all associated logos and trademarks are copyright, Exile Game Studio, LLC. Used with permission. ©2019 Triple Ace Games. Leagues of Cthulhu and all related marks and logos are trademarks of Triple Ace Games. All Rights Reserved.

Codicil Contents Chapter One: Characters....................................................... 3

New Skill.......................................................................... 3 New Talents...................................................................... 3 New Leagues...................................................................... 4 Weird Science.................................................................... 5 New Flaws......................................................................... 6 Corruption Flaws............................................................... 6 Chapter Two: Magic & Manuscripts....................................... 7 Rituals.............................................................................. 7 Formulae........................................................................... 9 Eldritch Books................................................................. 9 Eldritch Relics................................................................ 21 Chapter Three: Where Darkness Dwells............................... 31 Africa.............................................................................. 31 The Americas.................................................................... 34 Asia................................................................................. 43 Europe............................................................................. 52 Ocean Floor.................................................................... 64 Other Worlds................................................................. 65 Chapter Four: Gods, Monsters, and Cultists...................... 67 Lesser Gods..................................................................... 67 Horrors.......................................................................... 68 Mundane Beasts............................................................... 75 Cults............................................................................... 76 Notable Persons............................................................ 111 Chapter Five: Handling the Mythos................................... 117 Chapter Six: The Mythos through Time............................. 123 Humanity....................................................................... 127 Chapter Seven: Adventure Seeds........................................ 129 Chapter Eight: Cats.......................................................... 133

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Chapter One: Characters “There are black zones of shadow close to our daily paths, and now and then some evil soul breaks a passage through. When this happens the man who knows must strike before reckoning the consequences.” —H. P. Lovecraft, The Thing on the Doorstep This chapter details a new options for characters investigating the Mythos.

New Skill Hobby Specialized Skill Base Attribute: Intelligence For game purposes, hobbies mostly cover the collection and study of certain objects. Practitioners can appraise, categorize, and where applicable date objects in their field of interest. Your character must focus on a specific discipline: * Cartography: The collection, study, and making of maps and atlases * Faleristics: The collection and study of medals and decorations * Fossil Collecting: The collection and study of fossils * Genealogy: The study and tracing of family trees * Numismatics: The collection and study of coins, paper money, and other forms of currency

New Talents Bloodline: LeBlanc Unique; Only available at character creation Prerequisites: None The ancestors of the LeBlanc family were members of the Royal House of Blois, fought alongside William the Conqueror in 1066, and served as Masters of France with the Knights Templar. Of course, not every LeBlanc went on to become notable—many slid down the social ladder as time passed. The character’s branch of the family has long been engaged in politics. Members of the family settled in Canada in the 17th century and in the United States during the 18th century. Benefit: The globetrotter begins play with Con 0 and Diplomacy 0 and Contacts 1 (Politics). These are in addition to the regular four 0-level Skills and two 0-level Resources all characters receive. Normal: Your character receives no additional free Skills or Resources.

Bloodline: Northam Unique; Only available at character creation Prerequisites: None Able to trace their ancestral line back to the Roman occupation of Britain, at least according to family lore, the Northams have been

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Cthulhu Codicil aristocrats since the first Baron Northam was invested by King Edward III of England. Their ancestral seat, supposedly built from blocks taken from Hadrian’s Wall, is located on the wild Yorkshire coast. Benefit: The globetrotter begins play with Diplomacy 0 and Intimidation 0 due his aristocratic bearing and Status 1 (Gentry). These are in addition to the regular four 0-level Skills and two 0-level Resources all characters receive. Normal: Your character receives no additional free Skills or Resources.

Bloodline: Van der Heyl Unique; Only available at character creation Prerequisites: None Of Dutch descent, the van der Heyl family arrived in America in 1638, eventually settling near Attica, New York. Scions of the family are privately educated, before being sent to prestigious European universities to finish their schooling. Many elect to remain in Europe, and recent generations have put down roots across the continent. Benefit: The globetrotter begins play with Academics 0, Linguistics 0, and the Well-Educated Talent (ignoring the Intelligence prerequisite). These are in addition to the regular four 0-level Skills and two 0-level Resources all characters receive. The character also speaks Dutch, as well as his native tongue. Normal: Your character receives no additional free Skills or Talents, nor do they speak a second language.

New Leagues The Elder Club Requirements: Rank (military or another League) or Status (academic, aristocrat, or reporter) 1 Should the existence of the Mythos become known to the world at large, it is likely humanity’s collective sanity will shatter. The Elder Club is determined the people must

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be protected from the truth, even if it means destroying reputations or having those who speak publicly of the Mythos committed to asylums for the rest of their lives. As the Club motto reads, “All for the greater good.” The Elder Club only accepts members with sufficient position or status to keep the truth concealed. Among its members one can find senior police and military officers, alienists, politicians, academics, and even editors of major newspapers. Junior members (Rank 2 or lower) wear a silver ring embossed with an Elder Sign. Senior members sport a gold ring with the same design. Starting Skill List: Pick two from Bureaucracy, Con, Diplomacy, Intimidation, Linguistics, Spying

The Elder Race Society There are many Leagues with an interest in the history of humanity. Some, like the Society of Antiquarians, have a general view. Others, such as the New Argonauts, Old Testament Society, and Sumeria Club, are more focused on certain cultures or periods. While there are some scholars and antiquarians who believe in the existence of Atlantis, most accept the standard version of history—Atlantis is a myth. Not so the Elder Race Society. The Society holds that human civilization is far older than suggested. Atlantis, in their eyes, was only the most recent civilization among the elder cultures. Unfortunately, all they have to prove their theories are stories of dubious origin and a handful of artifacts of arguable date. This does not prevent them from holding public lectures and organizing expeditions to the far-flung reaches of the globe. Starting Skill List: Academics: History, Anthropology, Expeditions, Investigation, Linguistics

The Non-Linnaean Society Several Leagues have an interest in odd creatures. The Challenger Club quests for living dinosaurs, for instance, the Yeti Club seeks proof of the supposed Himalayan wild man and his kin, and there are members of the

Characters Society of Aquanauts endeavoring to find sea serpents and monsters. These creatures, whether real or fabled, conform to the classification laid down by Carl Linnaeus (1707-78) in his seminal work of 1735, Systema Naturae. The Non-Linnaean Society believes that there are creatures whose existence defies the standard structure and classification of beasts. Some have hypothesized that these entities may, in fact, be of unearthly origin, though most accept they are merely relics from an earlier epoch. The Society is interested in collecting live specimens and fossils, as well as studying the biology of these unusual creatures. Starting Skill List: Pick two from Expeditions, Investigation, Linguistics, Science: Biology, Science: Geology, Survival

Weird Science Substratum Visualizer Artifact 3 An enhanced combination of the Substratum Cartographic Engine (see Weird Science Compendium) and X-Ray Box Camera, the Substratum Camera allows geologists to peer into the earth without the need for digging. A viewing screen allows for real-time exploration. Turning one of two dials determines the focal length (the depth the scanner sees) and width (the area of effect) respectively. Pressing a button activates a single frame camera that captures the image on the screen. The device is heavy (12 lbs.) and focus rapidly diminishes with depth. Perception and Art: Photography rolls suffer a –2 penalty for each 50 feet of depth. Using the scanner at its maximum focal width allows one to quickly scan a wide area, but small objects may be lost at such resolution. Enhancements: Extra Sense: X-Ray (+2 Enhancements), Increased Area of Effect: 10 feet (+4 Enhancements), Increased Range: 50 feet (+6 Enhancements) Limitations: Increased Weight: 300% (–6 Enhancements)

Mythos Languages Certain Mythos tomes, such as the Vérendrye Runestone and Yothic Manuscripts, are written in truly ancient or utterly alien scripts. Translating them requires an Elder Lore: Tomes roll as opposed to a Linguistics: Translation roll. Such a roll would also be necessary to decipher other forms of writing, such as glyphs inscribed on a Mythos-related statue. As an option, a Gamemaster may wish to make the language barrier more problematic for the globetrotters. Two options are given below.

New Elder Lore Discipline This option introduces the Elder Lore: Languages Discipline. While Elder Lore: Tomes permits a globetrotter to recognize the name of an eldritch volume, recall its general history, and have a vague comprehension of its contents, Elder Lore: Languages is required to translate ancient and alien languages. This Discipline doesn’t ever allow for exact word-for-word translation. Instead, the reader grasps a rudimentary comprehension through certain keywords.

Specific Languages With this option, globetrotters who wish to understand eldritch writings require knowledge of a specific language. In place of a language group, a character with at least one Level in any Elder Lore Discipline can learn one language from those listed below when they next improve their Linguistics Skill. Aklo: Cursive script native to Serpent Men and certain cults of Yig. Pnakotic: A series of dots used by the Elder Things. R’yhehan: The pictographic script of Cthulhu, the Deep Ones, and many cults of great antiquity. Senzar: Atlantean runic system. Yithian: Curvilinear mathematical designs used by the Great Race. Yuggothan: A geometric script employed by the Fungi from Yuggoth.

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Cthulhu Codicil Manias “Mania” is a generic term among Victorian alienists for a variety of mental disorders. In the Leagues world, many can be handled by the Obsession Flaw, though some overlap with other Flaws.

Addiction Flaw Dipsomania: Consuming alcohol Etheromania: Inhaling ether fumes Toxicomania: Drug addiction

Obsession Flaw Ablutomania: Washing oneself Arithmomania: Counting things Bibliomania: Collecting books Choreomania: Dancing Dermatillomania: Picking one’s skin Dromomania: Wandering Ergomania: Compulsive worker Graphomania: Impulse to write Hydromania: Drinking water (may also be an Addiction) Klazomania: Shouting Kleptomania: Stealing steal Logomania: Talking Metromania: Writing verse Micromania: Self-deprecation Morsusmania: Biting (often people) Necromania: Having sex with corpses Nymphomania: Having sex Oniomania: Compulsive shopping Onychotillomania: Picking or tearing at finger or toe nails Plutomania: Acquiring excess, such as wealth, status, power, or food Pyromania: Setting fires Rhinotillexomania: Picking one’s nose (may also be Repulsive Flaw) Theomania: Belief one is a god Trichotillomania: Pulling out own hair

New Flaws Mental Blabber Mouth: Your character couldn’t keep a secret if their life depended on it.

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They aren’t boastful or malicious—they just doesn’t know when to stop talking. You earn a Style point whenever your character reveals information that comes back to haunt them or causes trouble for them or their allies. Fainter: Whether it is caused by the sight of blood (especially one’s own), startling revelations, or sudden shocks, the character is prone to fainting at the most inopportune times. When a Horror check is failed, fainting is automatic for a number of combat turns equal to the Horror check’s Difficulty. During this time they are incapable of taking any actions. You earn a Style point each time your fainting causes you or your allies trouble. Screamer (Severe): Your character isn’t necessarily faint-hearted or highly strung, but can’t help unleashing a piercing scream when startled. Whenever forced to make a Horror check, or the Gamemaster considers they have been suitably startled, they must spend the next combat turn screaming. This counts as an attack action. Two Style points are earned each time this fainting causes trouble for the character or an ally.

Corruption Flaws Unless otherwise stated in individual entries, the following Flaws may be taken only by globetrotters who have succumbed to Corruption.

Physical Dry Skin (Bloodline: Marsh): Your character’s skin is easily dehydrated and they must submerse in water regularly. You suffer one point of lethal damage for each day you cannot bathe for at least an hour. You earn a Style point whenever your character is harmed by the need to keep moist. Mange: Your character has a non-infectious skin disease that causes their skin to be scabby and their hair to grow in unsightly clumps. You suffer a –2 penalty to all rolls where appearance is a factor. You earn a Style point whenever your character is shunned or rejected because of the condition.

Chapter Two: Magic & Manuscripts “Words have a force far beyond that of ink stains on pages or spoken sounds... Whether written or spoken, language found in forbidden books can warp space-time and tear the fabric of reality.” —Daniel Harms, The Necronomicon Files: The Truth Behind Lovecraft’s Legend

Rituals Drain Life Rank 3 This ritual drains the life out of an enemy and heals the caster’s wounds. Make a Casting roll modified for range and area of effect versus an opponent’s Passive Defense. Because the Attack is invisible, the opponent does not get to use their Active Defense. Each success inflicts one point of lethal damage on the target and heals one nonlethal wound (or downgrades one lethal wound to nonlethal) on the caster.

Mark of (Deity) Rank 3 The mortal cultists of the Great Old Ones may be insane, but they are not stupid. When threatened, they are likely to retaliate, but in order to do that they must first know their enemy. This ritual magically brands an enemy of the deity named in the ritual.

The sorcerer makes a Casting roll with a Difficulty equal to the victim’s Willpower rating. With success, any followers of the same deity as the Mark automatically recognize them as an enemy of the Great Old One in question. Note that each avatar of Nyarlathotep is considered a separate deity for the purpose of this ritual. Thus, there are separate rituals for Mark of the Black Man, Mark of the Black Sun, and Mark of the Yellow King, for example. Mark of (Deity) is subject to Range modifiers, as well as the modifier below. Mark of (Deity)

Modifier

One hour

+2

One day

+0

One week

–2

One month

–4

One year

–6

Mark of Madness Rank 4 While the Fear ritual can cause a sudden onset of madness, the Mark of Madness inflicts a gradual erosion over a period of days. The magician makes a Casting roll with a Difficulty equal to the victim’s Willpower rating. The victim loses one point of Sanity immediately and another 2 points each day for every additional success on the Casting roll. Range modifiers apply to the Mark of Madness ritual. The Mark of Madness appears as a faint physical blemish on the victim’s forehead. De-

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Cthulhu Codicil Avatars of Nyarlathotep You’ll notice several references to specific avatars for Call or Commune Nyarlathotep rituals in this book. Although Leagues of Cthulhu lists just a single Call or Commune ritual for the Crawling Chaos, he has myriad forms. Some are specific to human cults, while other guises he favors when dealing with intelligent alien races. It may yet be that each avatar has no knowledge of the others’ schemes. His avatar in the tomes of elder lore detailed in Leagues of Cthulhu have no avatar attached. This is deliberate, as it gives the Gamemaster the final say. In some instances, those eldritch texts may actually include multiple rituals dedicated to Nyarlathotep, each invoking a distinct avatar. The Al-Azif, for example, might contain Call Nyarlathotep (All-Seeing Eye avatar), Call Nyarlathotep (Black Pharaoh avatar), and Call Nyarlathotep (Haunter of the Dark avatar). Each is a specific ritual and must be learned separately.

tecting it requires a Perception roll (Difficulty 3), while recognizing it for what it is requires an Elder Lore (any Discipline) roll.

Mark of the Hound Rank 3 The various horrors of the Mythos often summoned by cultists to harass their enemies are far from omnipotent. Without knowing the location of their foes, the caster is stymied unless they possess the ability to invoke this ritual. During the casting, the magician must write a sentence of arcane runes on a strip of paper using their own blood for ink. These need not name the intended victim. The magician then makes a Casting roll. In order to be effective, the runes must be passed to the victim. For obvious reasons, this is usually done surreptitiously. Once magically charged, the runes can be detected by any creature conjured by the

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magician through the Summon (Horror) ritual anywhere on the same planet. Instead of its usual reaction to being summoned, the creature automatically tracks down and attempts to slay the possessor of the runes. The runes have a maximum duration, determined during their creation. See the table below. Once the duration ends, the paper crumbles to dust, negating its power to attract Mythos entities. It is worth mentioning that using Mark of the Hound is not a guarantee of success. The paper, if discovered, can be destroyed or discarded, thus rending it impotent. Mark of the Hound

Modifier

One hour

+2

One day

+0

One week

–2

One month

–4

One year

–6

Mark of Withering Rank 4 The magician makes a Casting roll with a Difficulty equal to the victim’s Willpower rating. The victim suffers 2L damage (no Defense) immediately and another 2L damage each day thereafter for every additional success on the Casting roll. Range modifiers apply to the Mark of Withering ritual. The Mark of Withering appears as a faint physical blemish on the victim’s forehead. Detecting it requires a Perception roll (Difficulty 3), while recognizing it for what it is requires an Elder Lore (any Discipline) roll.

Sign of Koth (R) Rank 2 Pumping hot lead or thrusting finely-honed blades into Mythos beasts rarely produces the desired result. In order to escape with their lives intact, if not their minds, a globetrotter often needs time to turn tail and run, buying time until he can find a more permanent solution. That time can be bought using the mystical Sign of Koth

Magic & Manuscripts A potent warding symbol, the Sign must be carved over a doorway, cave entrance, or similar portal through which eldritch horrors might seek to pass. The Sign of Koth only affects creatures in Leagues of Cthulhu books listed under Great Old Ones or Horrors. The symbol exists in two forms. The Lesser Sign provides a temporary reprieve, warding a portal for no more than a few days at the most. The Greater Sign permanently seals the entrance against the passage of elder abominations. The potency of the Sign is only as good as the caster, though. To enchant a carved sign, the magician must make a Casting roll. Mythos entities with a Willpower rating lower than the caster’s number of successes cannot pass beyond the Sign until the ritual ends (which may be never). Great Old Ones have a Willpower rating of 10 for this purpose. The Sign of Koth ritual uses the modifiers below. Sign of Koth

Modifier

Duration One combat or scene

+0

Permanent

–10

Maximum Width of Portal 5 feet

+0

10 feet

–2

25 feet

–4

50 feet

–6

100 feet

–8

250 feet

–10

Sign of Tindalos (R) Rank 3 This rare ritual provides protection against the dreaded Hounds of Tindalos. It takes the form of a pentagram, the lines of which are curved. Drawn on the ground, its curved sides ward those inside against intrusions from creatures native to angular space. Once drawn and enchanted, the ward remains active for the remainder of the combat or scene. In order to pass through the ward, a Hound

must make a Willpower x 2 roll. The Difficulty depends on the strength of the ward. With success, the protection is breached and the vile creature free to assault its intended victims. On a failure, the Hound cannot pierce the arcane magic, resulting in it giving up the chase and returning to its native dimension—at least for now. The ritual is subject to area of effect modifiers, and those below. Sign of Tindalos

Modifier

Minor sign (Difficulty 3)

+0

Major sign (Difficulty 4)

–2

Superior sign (Difficulty 5)

–4

Formulae In addition to dread rituals, eldritch tomes may contain one or more formulae. Whether ultimately powered by means arcane or scientific principals far beyond the ken of conventional science, they enable mortals to construct certain eldritch relics. Each formula relates to one specific relic, and must be learned in the same manner as rituals in Leagues of Cthulhu. Having learned a formula, the character may create it in the same manner as weird science gadgets, with two differences. First, the design phase is ignored—the globetrotter is using an existing formula, not creating something entirely from scratch. Second, regardless of the relic’s nature, the construction roll is always Elder Lore: Artifacts. Globetrotters can learn only formulae for the construction of the eldritch relics in this volume marked “*” and Essential Saltes and Powder of Ibn Ghazi from Leagues of Cthulhu.

Eldritch Books The Assassins’ Creed: An Exposé of the True Hashshashin Language: French; Author: Christophe de la Croix; Published: 1632; Complexity: 3;

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Cthulhu Codicil Alternate Versions Not every copy of an occult or Mythos tome is identical. Over time, individual copies may have been edited, subjected to damp, book worms, or mishandling, rescued from fire or stained with blood, and had pages ripped out, poorly printed (blurry text or illegible handwriting), or even enhanced with marginalia. Whatever the cause of the differences, the Gamemaster can apply modifiers to the various tomes. Some suggestions are given below. * Increase Complexity: Something has happened to make the tome harder to understand. This may be editing, damage, or encryption of the text. * Decrease Complexity: Additional marginalia or explanatory notes, or the book has already been partially translated by a previous reader. * Increase Horror: Additional images, color plates, or even photographs added at a later date; book bound in human skin or the hide of an elder being. * Decrease Horror: Editing, damage, or missing pages have removed some of the more horrific descriptions or images. * Decrease Mythos: As above. * Remove one or more rituals: As above. * Add one or more rituals: Added by a previous scholar.

Other Changes Additionally, the book may be modified in a way that does not alter its base statistics. * The book has been fitted with a lock. Opening it without damaging the contents requires a Larceny: Lockpicking roll (Difficulty 3). * The book contains a letter written by a previous reader or a photograph of a person, place, or thing. * The binding contains a small key. * The opening page contains a list of previous owners. It lists noted historical figures or even a globetrotter’s relative. * The book is extremely fragile and crumbles to dust after being read. The reader has one chance to learn the rituals before the knowledge is lost.

Horror: 3; Mythos: 2; Contents: Commune Nyarlathotep (Old Man avatar) De la Croix (1582-1638), a minor French aristocrat, declares at the start of the volume that the primary source of his information comes from a lengthy diary penned by Jean de la Croix, a Crusader ancestor. Discovered after a small fire in the family library, the original document records information gleaned while the knight was a prisoner of Saladin’s forces. The diary, written after the Crusader’s eventual release, retells several conversations held with an Egyptian imprisoned in the adjoining cell for idolatry. He learned that the Assassins secretly worshipped a devil, known as the Old Man of the Mountain and worked fell incantations to slay their victims. The dialogue between the captives ended unexpectedly, when the mad Arab was found strangled in his cell. De la Croix ended his book with the claim that the devil worshiped by the Assassins was named Baphomet, and that his image was also venerated by the Knights Templar. No research into the subject was ever conducted, for de la Croix was murdered in a barroom brawl two years after his only book was published.

Book of Hidden Things Language: Latin; Author: Attributed to Marco Polo; Published: c. 14th century; Complexity: 3; Horror: 2; Mythos: 1; Contents: Alter Visibility, Formula: Powder of ibn-Ghazi, Spirit Sense, Voorish Sign Supposedly discovered in a house in Venice in 1637, the Book of Hidden Things is, according to the manuscript itself, the work of famed explorer Marco Polo. Despite it stressing that Polo learned of strange and secret things from wise men in the Far East, no serious scholar attaches any veracity to the alleged authorship of this manuscript. For a start, Polo knew very little Latin, and certainly not enough to pen a manuscript. The Biblioteca Marciana (Library of Saint Mark) in Venice holds the only known copy.

Book of Sothis Language: Ancient Greek; Author: Man-

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Magic & Manuscripts thon; Published: c. 3rd century BC; Complexity: 3; Horror: 2; Mythos: 2; Contents: Commune Bokrug, Commune Nyarlathotep (Black Pharaoh avatar), Summon Denizen of the Nameless City, Summon Serpent Man, True Name of Azathoth Knowledge of this nonextant manuscript is mostly known from the 9th century Byzantine chronicler George Syncellus. Scholars accept that the scroll did once exist, and copies may still exist somewhere, but claim its authorship is falsely attributed. Regardless of who wrote it, the manuscript speaks of monuments and cities located in the “Siriadic land.” Various modern scholars have pointed at Assyria, Arabia, and Egypt as the location for this otherwise unknown land. While the descriptions match those in other Mythos tomes, none are actually named. The author claims the sites he witnessed were truly ancient, having been constructed long before the Biblical Deluge, and that the strange writing found within was subsequently translated by Egyptian scholars and stored in the “great temples of Egypt.”

Chants of the Greenland Inuit Language: English; Author: Professor Thaddeus Mayberry; Published: 1882; Complexity: 2; Horror: 2; Mythos: 1; Contents: Commune Cthulhu, Commune Rhan-Tegoth, Elemental Protection, Summon Ghoph-keh, Summon Feaster from the Stars Following the publication of the Webb Expedition Report in 1863 (see Leagues of Cthulhu), a second expedition followed in Webb’s footsteps with the aim of recording native Greenland Inuit chants. Several of the songs, acquired from tribes inhabiting the harsh northern coasts, are in an unknown language and their reproduction is phonetic. As an aside, Mayberry found no evidence of the degenerate tribe mentioned by Webb, but commented that worship of “Tulu”­ —which Mayberry believed was a corruption of Agloolik, an evil sea god who wrecked canoes, rather than a separate entity—was evidenced in two other primitive and barbaric tribes. The scholar noted with interest that those tribes were found

on opposite sides of the glacier-ridden interior and thus had no direct communication. Professor Mayberry returned to Greenland in 1883, supposedly in search of a lost city mentioned to him by several Inuit elders, and has not been seen since. His manuscript was published by his daughter, Abigail, herself a noted anthropologist a year after his disappearance.

Chou-shih Ming-t’ung Chi Language: Chinese; Author: Chou Tzu-liang; Published: 517; Complexity: 3; Horror: 4; Mythos: 3; Contents: Commune Yog-Sothoth, Summon Child of the Fire Mist, Summon Great Race of Yith Chou Tzu-liang (497-516) was just 19 years old when he wrote A record of Master Chou’s communication with the Unseen World, a record of his conversations with beings from outside of our reality. History records that Master Chou voluntarily consumed poison. Heeding a summons from the Unseen World, he believed he would be given a position of power within the “Unseen bureaucracy of the Perfected” once his mortal shell was abandoned. The book, a diary of his dreams and meditations, was presented to the Imperial court in 517 by Master Chou’s mentor, T’ao Hungching. The last recorded mention of the diary was in the 13th century, shortly before the Imperial library was destroyed by the Mongols.

The Chronicle of Nath Language: German; Author: Rudolf Yergler; Published: 1624; Complexity: 3; Horror: 2; Mythos: 1; Contents: Voorish Sign Penned by a German mystic and alchemist, is a record of Yergler’s “astral travel” using an “Oriental drug of much potency.” One section seemingly recalls a distant event—the descending of a terrible beast spawned in the limitless gulf of space to the earthly realm of Nath in the Year of the Black Goat. A profane entity, it feasted on human souls by means of inflicting nightmares that erased sanity and prevented sleep, thus causing its victims to wither and die.

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Cthulhu Codicil Invisible to the human eye, it could be witnessed only by looking through the multi-faceted Gem, and only one who could see it (assuming the sight of the fiend did not cause them to drop dead in fright) could slay it. Alas, the fabled item has been lost, for it was held by the hero Phrenes, who set forth to slay the creature but never returned. Thus, writes Yergler, while the beast withdrew after sating its hunger, it will return to Earth again when the heavens once again assumed the pattern of the Year of the Black Goat.

Confessions of Form, Being the Guises of Satan as Presented by the Adversary in Person Language: Latin; Author: Bartholomew; Published: 1328; Complexity: 4; Horror: 4; Mythos: 4; Contents: Commune Nyarlathotep (Black Man avatar), Summon Black Winged One, Summon Fungus from Yuggoth, Summon Night-gaunt, Summon Spawn of Shub-Niggurath Known to history only as Bartholomew, a Cistercian monk, the author of this book described and drew images of Satan’s many forms. When his activities were discovered, the monk proclaimed he was doing God’s work, for in trafficking with Satan he was unearthing the many guises of the Devil so that others would know them. His superiors thought otherwise. Bartholomew was tortured before being burned at the stake as a heretic. His account of his dealings with Satan was thought to have been consigned to the flames with him. However, a letter discovered in 1554 reveals that the book vanished, presumed to have been taken to Hell by Satan.

Consort of the Green Man Language: English; Author: Henry Dubois; Published: 1740; Complexity: 3; Horror:2; Mythos: 2; Contents: Control Weather,Raise Dead, Summon Spawn of Shub-Niggurath Originally penned in French under the title “épouse de l’homme vert” by Henri Dubois,

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self-proclaimed leader of “The Druids of Gaul,” this manuscript deals with not only early Druidic fertility rites but with odd and previously unknown funerary practices as well. Dubois and his followers were forced to flee France due to religious persecution in 1730 and were believed to have settled in Northern Scotland. Although all the French manuscripts are said to have been destroyed, there are rumors of the cult also splintering into Germany and from there possibly into Pennsylvania.

Cultele Preistorice din Muntii Carpati Language: Romanian; Author: Adrian Craciun; Published: 1799; Complexity: 2; Horror: 1; Mythos: 2; Contents: Commune Nyarlathotep (Great Wolf avatar), Control Animal (wolves only), Form of the Beast (wolf only), Summon Hound of Tindalos As yet not translated into other languages, this scholarly work, the name of which name translates into English as “The Prehistoric Cults of the Carpathian Mountains”, espouses the theory that a barbaric cult existed among the peoples of the Carpathian Mountains. Beginning in prehistory, the cult remained small and confined to remote valleys. During the rise of the Dacians it came out of the shadows to emerge as the state religion. It was allegedly purged in 106 AD, when the Romans under Trajan conquered the region, though Craciun hints remnants may still exist today in the remote mountains. Cult activities focused around worship of a great wolf, a monstrous entity who granted his most devout followers the magical ability to transform themselves into wolf form. A gluttonous deity, it demanded frequent human sacrifice lest it turn on and devour its worshippers.

De Äldre Runorna Language: Swedish; Author: Richard Sjunnesson; Published: 1787; Complexity: 4; Horror: 2; Mythos: 3; Contents: Elder Sign, Mark of Madness, Mark of Withering, Sign of Koth, Sign of Tindalos, Voorish Sign

Magic & Manuscripts Already a pariah in the Scandinavian scholastic community for his view that the Temple of Uppsala was dedicated to a nature deity far older than those of the Norse pantheon (see below), Sjunnesson (1723-89) continued his exploration into alternate Scandinavian history by self-publishing a work concerning the runes. Entitled The Elder Runes, it proposed that the runes were not originally an alphabet. Rather, they were arcane signs of unimaginable age brought to Earth by a race of alien beings in prehistory. Sjunnesson continues by claiming that the story of how Odin gained knowledge of the runes through self-sacrifice is actually the race memory of an ancient sorcerer, Wuotan, who was sent them in a dream by an extraterrestrial entity he calls Kutlu.

Den Gamla Troen Avslöjade Language: Swedish; Author: Richard Sjunnesson; Published: 1784; Complexity: 3; Horror: 3; Mythos: 2; Contents: Commune Shub-Niggurath, Summon Black Winged One, Summon Spawn of Shub-Niggurath Professor of the History of Religions in the Faculty of Theology at Uppsala University until his dismissal following the disappearance of two students during a field trip and the continuing irrational nature of his scholarly work, Sjunnesson spent many years excavating at the Temple of Uppsala. Dismissing the conventional history of the site as a temple to the Norse gods, Sjunnesson shocked Swedish scholarly circles by insisting that the site was, in fact, dedicated to an ancient nature deity whose cult had existed at least 30,000 years ago. In place of the accepted triad of gods worshipped at Uppsala, those being Thor, Odin, and Freyr, he proposed a new set of figures who sat on three wooden thrones atop great mounds mentioned in historical records. The center throne, the so-called High Seat, was vacant, for the god it honored could not be given form or name. Seated left was the Great Mother, the female aspect of nature, and on the right the Black Goat, her male counterpart. Sjunnesson continues by examining the writings of Adam of Bremen (c. 1050 - c.1081),

Books and Rituals Although they are considered as rituals for game purposes, the content of Mythos books are not necessarily magical formulae. They may exist as chants or songs, mathematical formulae, or weird glyphs that are activated by tracing them with a finger (or merely by viewing them!). Looking through the list of books, two contain no rituals— The King in Yellow and The Wars of the Heavens, Being a Discourse on the Myths of Celestial Strife. These are not an oversight on our part. No book needs to have rituals in order to count as a Mythos book. All it requires is knowledge relating to the Mythos (i.e., a Mythos rating). For example, a scientific treatise on meteorites might have a small chapter discussing reports of strange meteorites that dissolve in air and exhibit colors that defy description. In other words, the author is talking about a Colour Out of Space, even though they have no comprehension of such things. While that chapter inadvertently imparts limited Mythos knowledge, it’s hardly likely to contain the Summon Colour Out of Space ritual in any form. In the same vein, given the vagueness of the discussion, the book probably has a Horror rating of zero.

who wrote of Uppsala. Adam told how every nine years nine males of every species were sacrificed to the gods, their corpses left to hang on a sacred tree with widespread branches. Sjunnesson claims that the translation is erroneous, and that the sacrifices were “devoured by the sacred tree.” He also tells that the “disgusting songs” mentioned by Adam were actually chants verbalized in an elder tongue. Sjunnesson’s body was found on the western mound at the Temple of Uppsala. The official verdict was heart attack, though witnesses claim his face was contorted in a grimace of utter terror.

Dhol Chants Language: Tibetan; Author: Unknown; Published: c. 14th century; Complexity: 4;

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Cthulhu Codicil Tomes & Teamwork A globetrotter who has read and fully understood a Mythos tome may use the volume to gain a Teamwork bonus when making an Elder Lore roll. Two caveats apply. The first is obvious—the globetrotter must have access to the book in order to flick through its damnable pages to reacquaint himself with the lore he seeks. Second, the tome in question must relate to the roll. Thus, The Serpent in History, for example, is of no use for rolls other than relating to Yig and the Serpent Men. The Gamemaster has the final say in whether a book is relevant or not. This done, the globetrotter gains a Teamwork bonus equal to the volume’s Mythos rating.

Horror: 3; Mythos: 1; Contents: Call Nyarlathotep (The King in Yellow avatar), Commune Nyarlathotep (The King in Yellow avatar), Gate Although the only known copies of this work are written in Tibetan, folklore hints these are translations of much older scrolls. If the stories passed down by generations of monks are true, the original Dhol Chants were scrolls brought to Tibet by the survivors of an expedition of holy men who had dared travel to the dread Plateau of Leng. Each “chapter” is a prayer, intended to be chanted rather than simply read aloud. Poor translation of the original alien tongue means that only a few chants have any true power. Were a copy found in the language of the foul semi-human inhabitants of forbidden Leng, it would contain more rituals.

Genies in Arabian Folklore Language: English; Author: Michael Gruber; Published: 1889; Complexity: 4; Horror: 3; Mythos: 3; Contents: Summon Black Winged One, Summon Child of the Fire Mist, Summon Flying Polyp, Summon Fungi from Yuggoth, Summon Night-gaunt Gruber, a member of the Society of Antiquarians and dedicated Arabophile, spent a

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decade travelling the Middle East searching for stories concerning the jinn (sing. jinni), entities better known in English as genies. During that time he conversed with imams and storytellers, and browsed scrolls written before the Great Sphinx was carved from stone. The work is fragmentary, being comprised of detailed notes, sketches, and photographs sent back to Great Britain by the author during his sojourn. Gruber’s last message, dated 1885, indicated he was planning to enter the Arabian Desert in search of Iram of the Pillars. Having received no further correspondence, the Society of Antiquarians compiled his notes and published the book in his memory. Certain sections have been amended with comments by the editor. For instance, when Gruber declares that he saw a “winged, faceless genie with skin of midnight black” summoned before his eyes, the editor explains with self-imposed authority that the author was either hallucinating as a result of heat stroke or subject to a con artist’s trick.

The Hound in Myth and Legend Language: German; Author: Jonathan Friebel; Published: 1808; Complexity: 2; Horror: 1; Mythos: 1; Contents: Summon Black Dog (see Leagues of Gothic Horror), Summon Hound of Tindalos This slim volume looks at the presence of canines in myths and legends. Topics include wolves and dogs in Egyptian and Norse mythology, with especial attention on how they are associated with the underworld; the Wild Hunt of Northern Europe; temple dogs of the Orient; ghostly black dogs in English folklore; and supposed spectral hounds that inhabit other dimensions.

The Ingá Stone Language: Unknown petroglyphs; Author: Unknown; Published: Unknown; Complexity: 5; Horror: 2; Mythos: 3; Contents: Commune Shub-Niggurath, Commune Yog-Sothoth, Nature’s Embrace, Summon Flying Polyp, Summon Shoggoth, Summon Spawn of Shub-Niggurath (Thousand Young only)

Magic & Manuscripts Rising from the waters of the Ingá River in the northeast of Brazil, the Ingá Stone is a natural rock formation. Deeply incised on the surface are hundreds of petroglyphs. The existence of the stone remains unknown to all but the indigenous tribes, who have nothing to do with the site. In their lore, the glyphs were carved by a hostile tribe “when the stars looked different” who worshipped unknown gods and spilled the blood of human sacrifices on the top of the rock. Translating the markings requires an Elder Lore: Languages or Tomes roll, as opposed to a Linguistics: Translation roll.

Kitab al-Asnam Language: Arabic; Author: Hisham Ibn AlKalbi; Published: 8th century; Complexity: 3; Horror: 3; Mythos: 3; Contents: Commune Azathoth, Commune Bokrug, Commune Ghatanothoa, Commune Yog-Sothoth, Elemental Fury, Spirit Binding, Summon Night-gaunt A scholarly work, the author of the Book of Idols (the English title) names the gods and describes the rites of pre-Islamic Arabia before rebuking the Arabs who worshipped them. He is especially scornful of the citizens of Mecca, where Abraham and Ishmael constructed the Kaaba, the first House of Worship. After Ishmael’s death, the inhabitants reverted to idolatry and worship of pagan deities, sealing their turning their back on God by erecting statues to their 360 deities in the city. It as only in 629, after having captured the city, that Mohammed torn down the idols and brought back Mecca back to holiness. A single copy of the complete manuscript exists in Damascus, though edited copies may be found elsewhere in the Islamic world.

Kitab al’iisharat Language: Arabic; Author: Faisal ibn-Algol; Published: 766; Complexity: 5; Horror: 4; Mythos: 3; Contents: Arcane Ward, Elder Sign, Formula: Powder of ibn-Ghazi, Sign of Koth, Sign of Tindalos, Voorish Sign Writing a generation after the death of Abdul Alhazred, author of the Necronomicon, ibn-Al-

Trapped Tomes & Self-Activating Spells Mythos books are never benign, for even the least horrific of them opens the reader’s mind to the suggestion that horrors beyond description have haunted the universe since before our Sun was born in a blaze of light. Some are truly dangerous, for reading certain passages or rituals actually invokes those dread rites. For example, the tome may cast a Commune ritual. At some point in the near future, the deity in question contacts the reader through his dreams. Summon rituals call forth a creature of the Mythos, which attends the reader at a convenient (for it) point. Creatures such as Deep Ones may attend in the mistaken belief that the inadvertent caster is a cultist seeking their assistance or inviting them to a ritual to honor dread Cthulhu or Dagon. Woe betide the unfortunate soul who accidentally invokes Summon Dimensional Shambler or Hound of Tindalos, though! At the Gamemaster’s discretion, a successful Elder Lore (any Disciple) roll with a Difficulty of the ritual’s Rank alerts the reader to the danger before the ritual is completed. Tomes do not have Casting rolls, nor do they require them. Rather, the spell automatically succeeds. When extra success produces additional results, the Gamemaster must decide the final effect. Ultimately, the aim is not to punish the character (or player) for his choice in reading a tome, but to liven up his life and present an unforeseen challenge.

gol communicated with the so-called Mad Arab several times before his death. Filled with dread at the blasphemous entities of whose existence Alhazred wrote, ibn-Algol The Book of Signs. Its pages are filled with various mystic signs and wards by which the creatures of the Mythos may be weakened, held at bay, or driven off. Unfortunately for the reader, the scholar provides stark descriptions of the various horrors against which the signs are effective.

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Cthulhu Codicil The Name Nephren-Ka Of the few Mythos tomes containing the name Nephren-Ka, many were composed many centuries after the time of the pharaohs. With knowledge of how to read hieroglyphs lost, spellings were based on oral lore and were subjected to translation errors. As written, Nephren-Ka combines Greek and Egyptian elements. Living long before any Greek influence on Egypt’s language or culture, the Black Pharaoh would have possessed a uniquely Egyptian name. Fortunately, there are plentiful clues for modern scholars. Two variations have the strongest claim, though neither can be confirmed without the discovery of a cartouche bearing the royal name. First, the pharaoh’s true name may be Nefer-ren-ka. This translates as “Good is the name of the spirit.” It might be that “spirit” relates to Nyarlathotep, although neter (god) would be a better fit than ka (spirit) as the latter usually refers to a human spirit. Second, his name might have been Nebren-ka, or “Lord (or master) of (the) word and (the) spirit.” If the various stories concerning the Black Pharaoh are true, then such a name likely relates to his mastery of Mythos rituals. Of course, either may yet prove to be an epithet or title rather than a true name.

No copies of the book are known to exist. Such was the furor that accompanied its publication that all available copies were ordered immediately set to flame. It is said that a lone copy existed in the great library of Constantinople, but this was stolen by Crusaders in 1204. Ibn-Algol fared little better than his work. Thrown into jail, he was torn apart by his fellow inmates three years later. Vague hints suggest his death was far from natural, the scholar being rended limb from limb by a genie not his cell mates.

* Libro Signis Language:

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Latin;

Author:

Unknown;

Published: c.13th century; Complexity: 5; Horror: 3; Mythos: 2; Contents: Elder Sign, Formula: Powder of ibn-Ghazi, Sign of Koth, Voorish Sign Experts agree that the Latin translation of the Kitab al’iisharat was penned by a priest or knight some time after the Fourth Crusade—it being very unlikely the author had access to the copy in Constantinople before this time. The only known copy of this manuscript is held in the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris.

* Signs Language: English; Author: Dr. John Dee; Published: 1610; Complexity: 6; Horror: 2; Mythos: 1; Contents: Voorish Sign Published a year after the death of John Dee (1527-1609), likely by someone else using Dee’s name, this poor translation is strewn with errors to the point that it is virtually useless for students of the Mythos. King James I of England (1566-1625) considered the book to be nothing more than “pagan witchcraft” and ordered all copies destroyed. One copy survives in the library of Edinburgh University, though it is likely more copies survive in private collections.

Lost Kings, the Missing Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt Language: English; Author: Douglas Roundpond; Published: 1857; Complexity: 2; Horror: 1; Mythos: 1; Contents: Commune Nyarlathotep (Black Pharaoh avatar) Through the media of ancient scrolls and inscriptions, such as the Abydos, Karnak, and, Turin king lists and Manetho’s Aegyptiaca, Egyptologists have pieced together a rudimentary chronology for the pharaohs of Egypt. Roundpond’s (1796-1854) scholarly work, completed and published by his daughter, Rosalind (1838-1932), focused entirely on pharaohs for which there was no other corroborating evidence at the time of publication. Among the “lost kings,” as he called them, were names such as Narmer, Scorpion, Tutankhamun, Thamphthis, and Baka. Of the many names and suggested

Magic & Manuscripts biographies, two are of interest to Mythos scholars—Queen Nitocris and King Nephren-ka. Historical Note: The Narmer Palette, which depicts the pharaoh, was unearthed in 1897, as was the Scorpion Macehead that names King Scorpion. Since Roundpond’s day, further king lists such as the Palermo Stone (1859) and Saqqara Tablet (1861) have helped further refine the chronology.

Music of the Spheres Language: German; Author: Octavius Hessel; Published: 1792; Complexity: 3; Horror: 2; Mythos: 1; Contents: Gate, Summon Courtier of Azathoth, Summon Hound of Tindalos; Special: Casting any of the rituals in this book requires a Performance: Musical Instrument roll instead of the normal Casting roll A little known German composer, Hessel was convinced he could summon angels through music. His discordant compositions were declared unplayable by his peers. Hessel was incarcerated in an asylum in 1801 and died a year later.

New England Folklore Language: English; Author: Eli Davenport, Published: 1839; Complexity: 2; Horror: 3; Mythos: 1; Contents: Summon Fungi from Yuggoth A monograph of extreme rarity, Davenport’s work collects oral folklore from New England. It focuses on a supposed race of monstrous creatures that inhabit the dark wood, narrow valleys, and rounded peaks where men seldom tread. Descriptions from across the region are similar in their details, describing the entities as winged crabs. The earliest stories tell that the creatures had no traffic with mortals, being content to remain in the wilderness. Later stories speak of strange marks found on window sills, footprints outside houses, and buzzing voices heard on the wind. One section concerning Indian myths suggests the winged beings came from the stars to mine a type of stone found nowhere else in the heavens, which they carry back to the stars.

Notes Concerning The Ancient One Across the Continents Language: English; Author: Sir Richard Francis Burton; Published: written 1890; Complexity: 3; Horror: 2; Mythos: 2; Contents: Commune Cthulhu Sir Richard Burton (1821-90) was a Victorian Renaissance man—a cartographer, diplomat, explorer, fencer, linguist, orientalist, poet, soldier, translator, and writer. Among the Leagues, of which Burton was a member of many, he was regarded in high esteem, though not above scandals and controversy. In the last months of life he became fixated on writing about the various cults he had encountered during his travels in Africa, Asia, and the Americas, and how they shared great similarities in their worship of a god Burton referred to only as “the Ancient One.” Burton died of a heart attack on 19th October 1890. According to his wife, Isabel (183196), Burton was working late in his office when she heard chanting in a “foreign tongue.” After a time of silence, Isabel entered her husband’s office to find him dead. Burton’s unfinished manuscript on the cult of the Ancient One lies among his papers. In the months to come, Isabel burns a great many of her husband’s papers. Whether this one survives the purge is in the laps of the gods.

Observation on the Several Parts of Africa Language: English; Author: Sir Wade Jermyn; Published: 1761; Complexity: 2; Horror: 1; Mythos: 1; Contents: Commune Tsathoggua, Summon Black Spawn of Tsathoggua, Summon Black Winged One, Summon Courtier of Azathoth One of the first white men to venture into the Congo, arguably the dark heart of Africa, Sir Wade Jermyn wrote at length about the flora and fauna, geography, and inhabitants. While his earlier papers brought him scholastic praise, the publication of Observations brought him nothing but ridicule. Writing with a mania largely unknown

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Cthulhu Codicil among academics, Sir Wade proposed not only that the antiquities of the Congo were of much greater age than previously realized, but that there existed a prehistoric Congolese civilization whose denizens were white skinned. Four years after the book was published, Sir Wade was confined to an asylum.

Of False Angles Language: Ancient Greek; Author: Euclid of Alexandria; Published: 3rd century BC; Complexity: 5; Horror: 3; Mythos: 1; Contents: Gate, Summon Hound of Tindalos Although several fragments of Euclid’s key works survive, much of what is known about the “father of geometry” is later hearsay. Modern scholars poor scorn on the 6th century claim that he penned a work entitled Of False Angles, in which the mathematician wrote of angles that could not possible exist and of architecture which used these unfathomable principles. According to the 7th century Arabic scholar Haroun ibn Mizanur Al-Dimashqi, Of False Angles was Euclid’s first work on geometry. Much of the mathematician’s life was fixated on creating standardized laws for geometry. Haroun’s work is dismissed as pure fantasy, especially the section concerning the death of Euclid, in which he claims the Greek scholar “was consumed by masonry that, although acute, had the properties of the obtuse.” The rituals in this book are complex mathematical formulae rather than spells, and are activated by concentrating on the respective formula. Neither has a name with Mythos or occult connotations, but are rather listed as “The Convergence of False Angles within a Single Point” and “Of False Angles and their Relationship with the Curve.”

On the Transmutation of the Ancient Fertility Cults into the Witch-Cult of Western Europe Language: English; Author: Sir John R. Davis; Published: 1769; Complexity: 3; Horror: 1; Mythos: 1; Contents: Commune Nyarlathotep, Commune Shub-Niggurath,

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Nature’s Wrath, Summon Spawn of Shub-Niggurath, Summon Black Winged One, Summon Courtier of Azathoth The first half of this lengthy tome (it contains over 700 pages) describes the nature and practices of ancient fertility cults in Europe. The second half espouses on the author’s opinion that these mystical traditions evolved into the witch-cult persecuted by the Catholic Church. The book was banned shortly after its publication—not because of the text, but because it contained several paintings deemed to be excessively licentious. Dozens of copies still exist, though most are found in private collections. The British Museum Reading Room contains a copy, the art has been expunged. A keen scholar and leading member of the Society of Antiquarians, Sir John was last seen on Anglesey (see p. 59), where he was conducting research concerning the survival of the witch-cult in the present day. His disappearance, never fully investigated at the time, remains unsolved.

Rituals of the Ancients Language: English; Author: Charles Merriweather, Published: 1787; Complexity: 2; Horror: 2; Mythos: 1; Contents: Commune Shub-Niggurath, Nature’s Embrace Written at the start of the druidic revival, a cultural rather than spiritual view at that time, the volume combines the work of William Stukeley (1687-1765) with the more bloodthirsty accounts of Roman chroniclers and the 10th century Commenta Bernensia. Merriweather opinions that the true druidic faith was comprised of just two deities—a female mother goddess and a horned male god. These, he continues, were misunderstood by later Christians, who equated the horned god with Satan while the female aspect became synonymous with witches.

Sanguinary Cults and the Birth of the Myth of Vampires Language: Latin; Author: Sanguinus, Published: 1779; Complexity: 2; Horror: 4;

Magic & Manuscripts Mythos: 1; Contents: Commune Ghatanothoa, Summon Feaster from the Stars The 18th century “vampire epidemic” in Eastern Europe spawned several academic volumes on the nature of vampires. Penned under a pseudonym, Sanguinary Cults differed from the others in that the author espoused the view that vampires were nothing more than racial memories of ritualistic activity practised by ancient cults. The author proposes that these cults developed from a single source, slowly spreading across the globe in prehistory. Tracing the route to its source, Sanguinus concluded that the cults were founded on the lost continent of Mu, and that their veneration was focused on a primordial god known as Tanotah. The author notes that the name existed as late as the Hellenic Period, when it had become Thanatos.

The Serpent through History Language: English; Author: Sir Reginald Grosvenor; Published: 1818; Complexity: 2; Horror: 2; Mythos: 1; Contents: Commune Yig, Summon Child of Yig, Summon Serpent Man This scholarly work looks at snake cults and deities throughout history. The author, a noted academic and herpetologist, writes of the Voodoo loa Damballa, the snake in ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, Rome, and Mesoamerica, of the various snake spirits known to American Indians, and of the nagas of Indo-China. Grosvenor (1756-1833) makes it clear that, in his opinion, the presence of snake cults in every corner of the globe is no coincidence. Rather than bowing to the accepted view that early man worshipped animals native to his homeland, creating myths to explain their existence and peculiarities, Grosvenor relates certain ancient myths that tell of a race of serpent people who inhabited the earth long before man descended from the apes and of a universal cult dedicated to an entity he names only as the Father of Serpents.

The Snaefell Stone Language: Unknown Author: Unknown;

Making a Will Globetrotters investigating the Mythos have a greater chance of permanent insanity or death than ordinary citizens leading ordinary lives. Those who wish to pass on money, land, or property need to ensure they have a valid will. In order to be legal, a will must be written and signed by the testator or by a person directed by him in his presence plus two or more witnesses present at the same time as the above signature. Wills made by persons under the age of 21 are not valid. Any alteration to a will requires the formation of a new document, signed as above. Only the latest will is considered legal—previous wills are null and void. A person who dies without making a will is intestate. Without clear division of the estate, family members are usually required to go through the courts to claim a share, a process that can take many years if there are multiple potential heirs squabbling over their believed inheritance. Hiring a solicitor, or having levels in Academics: Law, will certainly be of great help in resolving the estate.

Published: Unknown; Complexity: 5; Horror: 3; Mythos: 1; Contents: Summon Shoggoth The story of the Lidenbrock Expedition into the bowels of the earth by means of the crater of Mount Snaefell, Iceland, is well-known to the Leagues of Adventure. Few scholars in any field are aware of the Pedersen Expedition, which entered the crater in 1885 under the leadership of Hans Pedersen (b. 1834). Whereas Lidenbrock and his party almost died at the start of their epic journey, having taken a dead-end tunnel that led through a coalfield, Pedersen and his comrades sought to excavate a section of coal and test its composition in the hope of being able to exploit the resource. Having dug a short tunnel, the miners stumbled across a massive slab of coal marked with strange triangular striations. Soon after they uncovered a green stone marks with odd patterns of dots (the written language of the Elder Things).

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Cthulhu Codicil Returning home to little fanfare—the coal being deemed of too poor quality to mine commercially—Pedersen presented the green stone to several notable geologists. Certainly it was extremely old, but it was considered an interesting freak of nature rather than an artifact with any historical value. The stone was donated to the Mineralogisk Museum (Geological Museum) in Pedersen’s native Copenhagen in 1888, where it remained on display as a geological curio until its disappearance a year later. A blurred photograph of the stone has taken its place. Translating the markings requires an Elder Lore: Languages or Tomes roll, as opposed to a Linguistics: Translation roll. Once translated, it speaks in general terms about Shoggoths and their many uses.

The Star Gods Language: English; Author: Unknown, Published: 1869; Complexity: 3; Horror: 2; Mythos: 1; Contents: Commune Yog-Sothoth Presented anonymously to the Royal Society, the author of this thin volume put forward the theory that mathematics and astronomy were imparted to mankind by “Star Gods.” Rather than metaphysical constructs, these gods were actual beings, elder entities from an unknown part of space that had visited Earth long ago. The book is divided into three sections. The first is concerned with the stone circles of early man, who, far from being a savage, possessed great astronomical knowledge. The section covers the Sumerians, whose use of a sexagesimal system governs time today. Finally, the author explores the history of the zodiac and ancient understanding of the precession of the equinoxes. The author concludes by saying that this knowledge was imparted so that humanity could determine when the “stars were right,” a time in the near future when the Star Gods would return ot Earth.

The Toledo Fragments Language: Mayan; Author: Unknown; Published: Unknown; Complexity: 4; Horror: 3; Mythos: 1; Contents: Commune Nyarlathotep

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(Haunter of the Dark avatar), Summon Animal (bats only), Summon Black Winged One A collection of fragments from a much longer Mayan codex, the document was unearthed in a library in Toledo, Spain, in 1715. It currently resides in the British Museum Reading Room, having been stolen by British soldiers during the Peninsula War (1807-14). The fragments relate the story of Camazotz, a Mayan deity whose name translates as “death bat,” the House of Bats in which he dwells, and the hideous bats that serve as his mortal messengers.

The Wars of the Heavens, being a Discourse on the Myths of Celestial Strife Language: French; Author: Henri DuBose; Published: 1772; Complexity: 2; Horror: 1; Mythos: 1; Contents: None A theologian and historian, DuBose (17381773) was fascinated by the stories of heavenly strife found in the myths and legends of many cultures. Four large chapters are devoted to the war between the gods of Olympus and the Titans, the Norse Ragnaraok, the rebellion of Lucifer, and the epic wars fought between Hindu deities and demons. The last few pages, written shortly before DuBose’s premature and unexplained death, speak of strange deities that exist beyond the stars and who, in ancient times, fought with the gods of earth for supremacy. These pages, replete with near-unpronounceable names but no correlating references, are widely considered by literary experts to be the result of undiagnosed madness.

The Woodman Diary Language: English; Author: Dr. Leland Woodman; Published: 1875; Complexity: 4; Horror: 3; Mythos: 1; Contents: Commune Yog-Sothoth (a Tibetan chant), Formula: Liao A cartographer and fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, Woodman (1823-78) was a member of the ill-fated Rothman Expedition (1869) seeking to establish diplomatic ties with the Tibetan government. Woodman,

Magic & Manuscripts the only survivor of the expedition, was found half-starved and wild-eyed in northern India in 1871. He never spoke about the fate of his peers, though he begged others never to enter the land of Tibet. In 1875, Woodman suddenly attempted to publish his journal, which detailed the truth concerning his time in Tibet. Although several Leagues expressed interest, they were dismayed to discover the work was only garbled descriptions of strange visions gained through the use of a previously unknown narcotic, Liao. The official conclusion from the Leagues was that Woodman, having witnessed the death of his fellows, lost his mind. Having been removed from his post due to an unspecified medical condition, Woodman died in 1878, bleeding to death after hacking off his ears, cutting out his tongue, and plucking out his own eyes. The handwritten diary is housed in the Bodleian Library in the University of Oxford.

Yothic Manuscripts Language: Unknown; Author: Unknown Published: Unknown; Complexity: 4; Horror: 4; Mythos: 2; Contents: Alter Visibility, Call Tsathoggua, Commune Tsathoggua, Summon Black Spawn of Tsathoggua Written in an age before humans by the reptilian inhabitants of Yoth, the manuscripts speak of that elder race’s descent in the blacklit caverns of N’kai and of the terrible things they discovered there. They tell of ancient Tsathoggua, the slumbering Great Old One born eons ago, of his formless servants, and of the many ruins that littered the immense caverns whose walls had never been touched by the light of the sun. Translating the markings requires an Elder Lore: Tomes roll, as opposed to a Linguistics: Translation roll.

Eldritch Relics Aladdin’s Lamp Unique Artifact 4

While the story of Aladdin and his magic lamp is certainly of ancient origin, it is an 18th century addition to the Arabian Nights. Despite its inclusion in modern versions of that august work, the tale has its origins in China. Most modern readers know the story of how Aladdin was recruited by a North African magician to recover a magic lamp, summoned a genie, and, after some adventures and misfortunes, lives happily ever after. A fine story with many fantastic elements that appeal to audiences, but very few are aware that the story is based on actual events. The magical lamp was constructed by King Solomon, who in Islamic lore possessed power over genies and demons. While stories of genies bound into jars or copper vessels are not uncommon among Muslims, they are a corruption of the king’s ability to summon the unearthly beings through an enchanted gold lamp inscribed with strange signs. One story tells how the lamp was gifted to Solomon by the Queen of Sheba, whose lands were located in southern Arabia. The lamp, so it is told, was discovered in Iram of the Pillars. Taken as plunder from Solomon’s Temple by the Babylonians in the late 6th century BC, the lamp eventually made its way to China via the Silk Road. No genie is actually bound inside the lamp. Rather, the magic contained within it causes a Flying Polyp to be summoned. When the lamp is rubbed, it automatically casts the Summon Flying Polyp ritual. The lamp’s user uses his own Charisma + Willpower or Elder Lore roll (caster’s choice), but gains a +10 dice bonus. The entity is not obedient to its summoner, despite what the stories might imply. Enhancements: Ritual: Summon Flying Polyp (+4 Enhancements), Skill: +10 dice for Casting roll (+5 Enhancements)* * Only for the purposes of casting Summon Flying Polyp through the lamp.

Apparatus of Yith* Artifact 1 Leagues: — The Great Races’ ability to transfer their consciousness across time and space is a

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Cthulhu Codicil matter of advanced science, not mental acuity. Performing this feat requires a strange assembly of mirrors, rods, and wheels constructed around a circular, concave mirror. The entire mechanism measures around two feet tall, one foot wide, and one foot thick. Only a member of the Great Race can use the machinery to transfer its mind to another body—no human can use the device to inhabit the alien flesh of a member of that race, nor indeed any other species. A human can, however, employ it force a member of the Great Race possessing a human to involuntarily abandon its host and transfer its mind back to its natural body (assuming its body is alive, of course). Note that the minds of the Great Race are alien intelligences, not spirits, and thus cannot be expelled using the Banish Spirit ritual. However, for the purpose of this item, it works exactly as the Banish Spirit ritual. Enhancements: Ritual: Banish Spirit (+2 Enhancements)

Black Bottle Artifact 4 Leagues: Ghost Club, Magicians Circle Sorcerers versed in the darkest of the hellish arts know arcane formulae that allow them to steal a soul and capture it in a black bottle. This blasphemous ritual denies the victim any hope of entering either heaven or hell. Often, the magician buries his still-living victim, condemning him to an eternity of imprisonment guaranteed to shred whatever sanity remains. Each black bottle can store but a single soul. Effectively immortal, the victim can be slain only by smashing the bottle holding his soul, an act which releases a blue flame and intense sulfurous odor. Should the victim have lived beyond his natural span, he rapidly withers and crumbles to dust. A less drastic option is to master a second ritual, one which restores the soul to its owner. Note that nothing prevents a sorcerer from stealing and storing his own soul. As long as he protects the vessel, he is an immortal. Enhancements: Special: Store Soul (+8 Enhancements)

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The Clock of All Time and Space Unique Artifact 5 Crafted by unknown hands in the arcane city of Yian-Ho, this coffin-shaped timepiece is of little use in keeping conventional time. Its dial is marked not with numbers, but with hieroglyphs of unknown nature, and its four hands move in strange patterns. Where one might expect to hear a steady ticking, there is an arrhythmic series of long and short beats, like the coded noise of a telegraph machine. Oddly, the interior of the clock, a void large enough to accommodate a standing adult, has no obvious workings. By itself, the clock is nothing more than a curiosity. To those who know the Gate ritual, the clock is a potent boon. Within its cramped interior, a magician stands at a nexus where all time, space, and alternate dimensions touch. With a mere thought, the caster can travel not only to anywhere, but to anywhen. Users should note that the clock itself does not move through time or space—only whoever is inside it travels. As such, its boon is good for a one way trip. Enhancements: Skill: +10 Casting roll dice (+5 Enhancements)*, Special: Time Travel (+5 Enhancements) * Only when invoking the Gate ritual while inside the clock.

Conch of Dagon Unique Artifact 2 When the merchantman Elizabeth Jane set anchor on a remote island in the South Pacific in search of pearls, the coastal-dwelling natives, a strange people with bulbous eyes and wattled necks, fled inland from the strangers. While investigating the hastily abandoned village, the ship’s captain, Daniel Martins, found a magnificent conch of unusual size and color engraved with images of aquatic life and strange glyphs. Despite the warning from the ship’s chaplain that no good would come from stealing a heathen object, Martins took it back to the ship. As history records, the Elizabeth Jane was discovered derelict several months later by the crew of the whaling ship

Betty. The last entry in her log was a single word written in a shaking hand—Dagon. The conch was taken back to America, where it was sold to an Arkham resident and donated to the Miskatonic University, in whose museum it now resides. Used by the natives in their religious ceremonies, blowing the horn within sight of the ocean automatically casts the Summon Deep One ritual using 8 Casting dice. Blown elsewhere, it has no powers. Enhancements: Ritual: Summon Deep One (+4 Enhancements), Skill: 8 dice Casting roll (+3 Enhancements)* Limitations: Special: Works only when within sight of the ocean (–4 Enhancements) * Applies only when casting Summon Deep One.

Dagger

of

Solomon

Unique Artifact 3 Supposedly wielded by King Solomon in his battles against demons and genies who refused to bow before God, the dagger that bears the king’s name is made of a light gray metal that fell to earth in a meteorite. According to legend, the meteorite destroyed the city of Ubar (often mistaken for Iram of the Pillars). The blade, thanks to its unearthly material and the glyphs inscribed along its length, has a damage rating of 7L against alien entities, such as Children of the Fire Mist, Fungi from Yuggoth, and Spawn of Cthulhu. Enhancements: Increased Damage: +6L damage (+3 Enhancements)*, Special: Deals damage to alien entities (+4 Enhancements) * Only against alien entities.

Deep One Tiara Artifact 1 Leagues: Aeon Club, Hounds of Nodens, Society of Antiquarians, Society of Aquanauts Made from gold alloyed with a lighter metal as yet not identified through science, the tiaras (for more than one exists) are taller at the front and shaped for an elliptical head. Presented in bas-relief are various designs.

Some are geometrical, whereas others clearly represent marine creatures. The latter are of unknown creatures, with semblance to both frogs and fish. Only one tiara is on public display, though others may reside in the hands of private collectors, cultists, and certain Leagues. It was pawned in 1873, whereupon it was purchased by the Newburyport Historical Society. Despite study by eminent archaeologists and anthropologists, it has not been successfully attributed to any culture or school. Little wonder, given that it was crafted by Deep Ones as a gift to an important human follower. The tiara is a piece of mundane, if highly unusual, jewelry. It facilitates more peaceful interaction with Deep Ones, but only because they assume the wearer is a cultist and a friend to their species. Enhancements: Increased Attribute: +1

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Cthulhu Codicil Charisma (+1 Enhancements)*, Talent: Inspire (+1 Enhancements)* * Applies only when interacting with Deep Ones.

Dimensional Stabilizer* Artifact 4 Leagues: — Several Mythos horrors are either native to dimensions other than our own or have the ability to warp in and out of dimensions. The Dimensional Stabilizer produces rays that fix their form or hinder their ability to shift into alternate dimensions. Externally, the Dimensional Stabilizer has a similar form to a metal box with an ear-trumpet attachment. Internally, the device has components and circuitry utterly alien to human

science. When fired, a simple enough action using a trigger, the device emits an energy ray. Targeted against a Flying Polyp, it renders the fiend visible to the human eye for a limited time. Fired against a Dimensional Shambler, the monster cannot shamble through the dimensions. Again, this has only a short duration. In either case, there is no requirement to keep the ray trained on the target—a single shot is enough to stabilize it. Enhancements: Increased Range: 25 ft. (+4 Enhancements), Special: Dimensional Stability (+4 Enhancements), Touch Attack (+2 Enhancements) Limitations: Reduced Duration: One minute (–2 Enhancements)

Electricity Gun (Great Race)* Artifact 4 Leagues: — Created by the Great Race of Yith in their wars against the Flying Polyps, Electricity Guns are a product of science far beyond the understanding of conventional technology, even that known to weird scientists—hence why manufacturing them requires Elder Lore: Artifacts rather than Craft and Science. Enhancements: Improved Damage Type: Caustic (+2 Enhancements), Increased Damage: 4L (+4 Enhancements), Increased Range: 100 feet (+8 Enhancements) Limitations: Increased Weight: 20 lbs, Strength 3 (–4 Enhancements), Special: Requires unusual components (–2 Enhancements)

Fungi Brain Cylinder Artifact 3 Leagues: — The technologically-minded and scientifically advanced Fungi from Yuggoth have, on occasion, taken humans to visit their main colony on that distant world. With humans being unable to cope with the destructive nature of the ether, they must first be made ready for the long voyage.

Magic & Manuscripts The passenger’s brain is removed using advanced surgical techniques and placed in an ether-tight, fluid-filled metallic cylinder. This drastic method is not fatal to either brain or body, for both can be kept alive indefinitely so long as vital fluids are topped up regularly. Electrodes connected to the brain attach to three sockets arranged in the form of an isosceles triangle on top of the cylinder. Through secondary devices, the brain can be provided with sight, hearing, and speech facilities in any combination. Each of these three extraneous devices is an individual Artifact 1 with a single ability—to remove one of the sensory Flaws induced by having one’s brain extracted and stuffed into a jar of alien manufacture. Enhancements: Life Support: One Month (All; +16 Enhancements) Limitations: Flaw: Blind (–2 Enhancements), Flaw: Deaf (–2 Enhancements), Flaw: Mute (–2 Enhancements), Flaw: No Limbs (–4 Enhancements)

The Gem Unique Artifact 1 Leagues: — Crafted long ago in the land of Nath, whose name none now remember, the Gem—which had no other name—was housed in a great temple and watched over by the high priest. The Gem was taken from the temple in the reign of High-Priest Ka-Nefer by the hero Phrenes, who carried it against a terrible entity that plagued the land. Neither Gem nor hero were ever seen again. By peering through the Gem, one can see things otherwise invisible to the human eye. This includes certain monsters, spirits, and the stains left by the various Mark rituals. Placed in front of a camera lens, it allows one to capture invisible things in photographs. Enhancements: Extra Sense: Invisible objects (+2 Enhancements)

Gnoph-Keh Horn Dagger Artifact 3 Leagues: —

The elders of the Northern Greenland Inuits still recall the words of their forefathers, who spoke of the “white horned devil” that haunts the lands beyond their traditional hunting grounds. Anthropologists dismiss the tales of a horned, polar-bear type creature inhabiting the ice, arguing that it is a mythical creature born, perhaps, of witnessing a polar bear attacking a narwhal. Among the tools used among the remote tribes are daggers with blades made of pointed horns. Again, anthropologists claim these are nothing but narwhal tusks, though none have ever bothered to put the daggers to scientific tests. Were they to do so, they would quickly learn the horns come from no species known to science. The daggers are actually made from the horns of Gnoph-Kehs. Few Inuits have ever seen the strange creatures in many generations, and certainly none have killed one in at least 100 years. Thus, the weapons are heirlooms, handed down from generation to generation. As well as being especially sharp (4L damage total), the horn inflicts normal damage on creatures with alien biology, such as the Fungi from Yuggoth. Enhancements: Increased Damage: +2L (+2 Enhancements), Special: Treated as a magic weapon (+4 Enhancements)

Incense Cone, Type I* Artifact 0 Leagues: Aeon Club, Hellfire Club, Hounds of Nodens, Magicians’ Circle, Ministry of Unusual Affairs The burning of incense is commonplace in many religions. Sometimes it is burnt because the aroma is pleasing to the deity, while in others it aids meditation. Created from rare herbs and minerals, some of which do not originate on earth, these small, colored cones, burn for one minute (10 combat turns) once ignited with a simple flame. During that time they release a cloud of pungent smoke. The smoke alters the inhaler’s state of mind, making it easier to commune with one of the Great Old Ones.

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Cthulhu Codicil The cones can be extinguished before burning to a pile of gray ash, but cannot then be reignited. Burning multiple cones does not produce a cumulative effect (though it does produce more smoke). A batch contains five doses, each of which is good for a single use. Enhancements: Skill: +4 dice Casting roll (+2 Enhancements)* Limitations: Reduced Duration: One minute (–2 Enhancements) * Applies only when casting Commune (Deity).

Incense Cone, Type II* Artifact 3 Leagues: — Although similar in size and form to the above mentioned incense, these cones are more potent, not to mention dangerous to one’s sanity if misused. When ignited, they cast a Commune (Deity) ritual. Each cone is specific to a given Great Old One. Thus, a cone containing Commune Cthulhu will only ever allow mental communication with that most dread deity. Each cone burns for just 10 combat turns. During that time, the cone rolls 6 dice each combat turn. If the required 20 successes are gained within that time, communication from the deity is instantly established. On the off-chance not enough successes are garnered, the incense burns down without producing the desired effect. A batch contains five doses, each of which is good for a single use. Enhancements: Ritual: Commune (Deity) (+5 Enhancements), Skill: 6 dice Casting roll (+4 Enhancements) Limitations: Reduced Duration: One minute (–2 Enhancements)

Jade Hound Artifact 2 Leagues: — Carved from jade, the amulet takes the form of a crouching winged hound or cynocephalic sphinx. The figure is repellent, and speaks silently of bestiality, malevolence, and

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death. Carved around the base in no tongue known to man are a string of hieroglyphs. Carved in an Oriental fashion, the amulet originated on the accursed Plateau of Leng, where the winged hound is a symbol of the barbaric cannibal cult that inhabits the desolate and windswept wasteland. This vile cult is described fully in both the Necronomicon and Unaussprechlichen Kulten. Normally, a magician offering a blood sacrifice when casting a ritual must use the bonus dice during the invocation of that ritual. The Amulet, however, allows him to store the dice from a single sacrifice and make use of them at a later date. How many dice from the maximum available the caster elects to add to a Casting roll is up to him. The Amulet cannot be refilled until all the bonus dice from the last sacrifice have been drained. Jade Amulets are cursed. If one is taken from an owner, rather than received as a gift, the thief is terrorized by a ghastly abomination - the much-feared Hound (see p. 72). Enhancements: Special: Store blood sacrifice dice (+8 Enhancements) Limitations: Special: Haunted by the Hound (–4 Enhancements)

Liao* Artifact 5 Leagues: Pharmacopoeia Society First formulated and used in China many centuries ago, the drug Liao is all but unknown in the Western world. Even in the East it is rare, found only in twisting unmapped alleys in the oldest sections of ancient cities. According to legend, Lao-Tse regularly partook of the narcotic. It was through its use that he envisioned Tao, the mysterious force that surrounds and binds all things. Theories on the nature of time are manyfold, and numerous ones have been put forward by the Temporal Society. Users of Liao claim that past and future events exist in an alternate dimension—the fourth dimension— and that the drug allows one to cross into those otherwise unknowable dimensions. This is one theory the Temporal Society refutes, of course.

Magic & Manuscripts Injected into the blood, Liao truly does allows those with an understanding of complex mathematics to travel in time, but only mentally—physical transportation through time remains as elusive as ever (see Clock of All Time and Space above for one noted exception). As the drug takes effect, the user perceives everything simultaneously. Only through concentration can he direct his mind through the swirling maelstrom of images that constitutes the ever-changing time stream. It is advisable to take the drug in the company of others. There is a risk of becoming lost in time, and only a severe shaking (inflicts 1N damage) can recall the user’s mind to the here and now. There is a far worse danger than forever being trapped in time, though. Gaze back far enough or for too long and one might be spied by an ever-hungry Hound of Tindalos. To gain any benefit from Liao, the user must make a Willpower + Mathematics roll at Difficulty 2. Each additional dose grants a +2 bonus, to a maximum of 10 dice. The number of successes determines how far forward or back in time they may see and make any sense of the imagery. Exactly what they see, and how clear the visions are, is ultimately up to the individual Gamemaster. For the most part, the visions come thick and fast, with centuries, millennia, and even greater periods of time flowing and merging into a confusing mass. Enhancements: Special: Time travel (+10 Enhancements) Successes

Time in Years

0

Decades

1

Centuries

2

Millennia

3

Tens of millennia

4

Hundreds of millennia

5

Millions

6

Hundreds of millions

7+

Billions

Loki’s Glass Unique Artifact 5 Named after the Norse trickster god, this

mirror appears quite ordinary. Occasionally, one might glimpse what appears to be movement, as of something momentarily reflected in the Mirror. Viewed from specific angles, and in the right light, whorls and corrugations that radiate outward from a single point appear on the apparently smooth surface. If stared at, the whorls begin to swirl in a hypnotic pattern, literally drawing the entranced victim into its surface. The Mirror and the intended victim make opposed Willpower x 2 rolls. If the Mirror wins, the victim is marked and suffers an overriding desire to touch the glass. If touched, no matter how much time has passed since the initial interaction, victims are pulled through to the world beyond the Mirror’s surface. Victims trapped in the pocket dimension behind the Mirror can communicate with those in the real world, but only through their dreams, and then only if they are reasonably close by (within 100 feet). Trapped in a mirror universe, they appear in reversed form—blues become yellow, reds are viewed as green, and they speak backward. Spatial relations are also reversed, meaning that if the trapped soul seeks to walk toward the Mirror’s surface he actually moves further away. Much like a camera, the Mirror stores images of places previously reflected in its surface. Anyone trapped within can journey to the stored image with a mere thought. Unfortunately, the image is a two-dimensional backdrop and utterly intangible. Any trapped globetrotters find they are not alone. Already ensnared by the Mirror’s foul enchantment are a corpulent man who speaks English with a noted Scandinavian accent, a beautiful young girl, two Africans, three young men, one young woman with a child, and Axel Holm. A talented magician and glassblower, Holm (b. 1612) despaired at the limited knowledge of humanity. Through studying elder lore, he learned that reflections provided a possible means of venturing beyond the three dimensions in which humans exist. Seeking to preserve his life for eternity, Holm created the Mirror, working into it the strange whorls and corrugations that are the source of its dread

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Cthulhu Codicil power. In 1867 he stepped through it and vanished from the pages of history. His plan was not entirely without success, though not in the manner he anticipated. Within the confines of the Mirror, there is no need for food or drink, no one grows tired or ages. Alas, the Mirror provided no doorway to other dimensions, but only to a truly monotonous existence. Desperate, he lured others into his self-made trap. Escape is possible, but it requires outside assistance. The center of the Mirror, wherein lies the origin of the whorls and corrugations, must be cut out. This creates a portal through which prisoners may step. Whether a victim survives the ordeal depends on the amount of time spent in the trap, for time rapidly catches up with them. For most, their existence ends as they crumble to dust. Even in survival, the victim is not untouched by their experience—internal organs are switched to their mirror side, as is the handedness of the freed prisoner. That is, a right-handed person emerges left-handed, and vice versa. Enhancements: Increased Attribute: +4 Will (+8 Enhancements), Special: Dimensional Trap (+2 Enhancements)

Mythos Idol Artifact 1 Leagues: Aeon Club, Ghost Club, Holy Brotherhood, Hounds of Nodens, Ministry of Unusual Affairs, Society of Antiquarians When they descended from the stars in time immemorial, the Great Old Ones brought with them carved idols in their own images. Varying in shape from a foot to several feet in height, the statues are of no rock known to modern geologists, nor do they conform to any accepted school of art. Since the dawn of time, cultists honoring the abominable alien gods have danced and chanted and sacrificed in front of these unholy idols. These stone fetishes are not simply representations of the deities, but are psychically attuned to them and their servants, making certain rituals easier to cast. Idols dedicated to all the Great Old Ones exist, so some are rarer than others.

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All idols grant a bonus to cast Call and Commune rituals specific to the deity they depict. Note that in the case of Nyarlathotep, only the ritual specific to the avatar depicted by the idol gains the modifier. Other rituals that benefit from the presence of an idol are listed below. Enhancements: Skill: +4 Casting roll dice (+2 Enhancements)* * Only when invoking appropriate rituals while within 25 feet of the idol. Azathoth: Summon Courtier of Azathoth Cthulhu: Summon Father Dagon, Summon Deep One, Summon Spawn of Cthulhu Rhan-Tegoth: Summer Feaster from the Stars Shub-Niggurath: Nature’s Embrace, Summon Spawn of Shub-Niggurath Tsathoggua: Summon Black Spawn of Tsathoggua Yig: Form of the Beast (snake), Summon Animal (snake), Summon Child of Yig Yog-Sothoth: Gate, Seal Portal, Summon Dimensional Shambler

Prima Materia Artifact 5 Leagues: — Early and medieval alchemists believed in prima materia. They described it as primeval matter, a formless, fifth element that is the base of all things and that purifies the impure. Some texts refer to it as the Body of God, from which the infant Earth was formed. The Theatrum Chemicum states that it “begets itself, conceives itself, and gives birth to itself.” Prima materia exists, but is not the benevolent substance alchemists thought. A gelatinous slime that contains all the colors and minerals in the universe, it is the protoplasmic ooze from which the Elder Things spawned the Shoggoths and which they used to create life on Earth. In their appendages, it is a powerful tool. In the hands of others it is a deadly and powerful mutagenic inimical to all terrestrial life. A single drop on exposed skin, scales, or whatever is enough to transform any living creature into a mature Shoggoth in a matter of minutes, the gel flowing across the victim’s

Magic & Manuscripts body. As one might expect, the process is agonizingly painful and guaranteed to break even the strongest resolve. Only the Elder Things know how to use it to create other life. Enhancements: Special: Creates a single Shoggoth (+10 Enhancements)

Sea Glass Amulet Artifact 4 Leagues: — It takes a certain type of person, or tainted bloodline, to willingly mate with a Deep One. Made of gold and green gemstones mined from the sea floor, and engraved with tiny images of cephalopods, these enchanted amulets, when worn by a human, induce an unearthly lust to copulate with Deep Ones. The effect of the amulet lasts for one month, after which time its power ends. Deep Ones know rituals to recharge the jewelry, but it requires first recovering the object. Enhancements: Increased Duration: One month (+6 Enhancements), Induce Flaw: Lusty (+1 Enhancements)* * Only with regard Deep Ones.

Shining Trapezohedron Unique Artifact 3 The Shining Trapezohedron is a roughly spherical polyhedron around 4” across. It appears nearly black, but in the right light displays red striations. It is housed in an asymmetrical metal box with a hinged lid. The Trapezohedron is not of this world. It is recorded in certain books of elder lore that it was fashioned on Yuggoth in an age long before the Fungi made it their home. None can say who brought it to earth, but it was greatly treasured by the Elder Thing inhabitants of Antarctica. Indeed, it was this ancient race who fashioned its protective casing. Legends tell how the Serpent Men of longlost Valusia discovered it among the ruins of that elder city, and how later it came to be admired in sunken Lemuria. It found its way to doomed Atlantis, and from there into the net of a Minoan fisherman. Sold in the markets of Egypt, it eventually came into the possession

Bloodlines: An Additional Source of Corruption As it stands, Corruption points are earned only for committing, or encouraging others to commit, evil acts. Leagues of Cthulhu globetrotters with a Bloodline Talent may suffer Corruption simply for poking their noses too deeply into their ancestry. Whether it is the monstrous cannibalism of the Delapores, the abominable heritage of the Jermyns, or the ghastly blood that flows in the veins of the Marshes, every Bloodline has a terrible secret hidden in the family closet. Learning the truth, in part or whole, warrants Corruption. The more a globetrotter learns, or the more profane the revelations, the more Corruption they earn. A small, shocking discovery may demand 1 or 2 Corruption points, whereas learning the full truth is definitely worth 5 points, and potential higher amounts if the facts are particularly horrendous. Thus, even the most righteous soul may find the family taint taking hold of their body and mind simply because they learned too much. Of course, such revelations may also warrant a Horror check!

of Pharaoh Nephren-Ka. Today, it sits forgotten in the abandoned Church of Starry Wisdom in Providence (see p. 35). The Trapezohedron is a window on time and space, albeit one whose use by the uninitiated comes with terrible risk. The stone holds a curious and alarming fascination to any who gaze upon its uncovered form. Images of alien vistas, distant in both time and space, flash through the gazer’s mind, drawing him in ever deeper. Stare too long, though, and something alien stares back! After five rounds of continuous viewing, the Haunter of the Dark, an avatar of Nyarlathotep, stares back at the unlucky globetrotter who must now make a Horror roll at Difficulty 8.

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Cthulhu Codicil Intimidating Mythos Entities An angry face, threatening words, or waving a weapon at an opponent is usually enough to cower a human, or at least give them thought for pause before they attack you. All it requires is an Intimidation roll. Not so most Mythos entities. Sure, a Blacked Winged One or Deep One might, being of ordinary matter and the weakest of the Mythos creatures, be intimidated by standard means. Fungi from Yuggoth, Shoggoths, and Spawn of Cthulhu, among others, have nothing to fear from pitiful creatures like humans. No matter how their high Intimidation Skill or the Talents they have, globetrotters simply cannot intimidate such horrors without proving they can cause serious harm to the creature. Usually this means having to cast a ritual such as Harm, but the delay in doing so often means the globetrotters ends up as the fiends’ lunch. Gamemasters should never allow globetrotters to cower most Mythos entities under any circumstances, regardless of what the rules say is possible and the creatures’ Willpower rating.

Averting one’s gaze requires intense concentration. If trying to look away, the globetrotter must make a Willpower x 2 roll. The Difficulty begins at 1 but increases by 1 for each successive combat turn (6 seconds) the globetrotter has been staring. The roll can be attempted again after each additional combat turn up until the point where the victim, for such they now are, cannot possibly match the Difficulty. At this juncture, they become lost, condemned to stare into the alien stone until he either dying of dehydration or is snapped out of the trance by someone plunging the Trapezohedron into darkness (such as by shutting the box lid). Alas, this last act seals the victim’s fate, for it releases the Haunter of the Dark, an avatar of Nyarlathotep, to claim their soul. The manifestation is not immediate—the victim usually has two or three days to get their affairs in order.

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The gem’s true purpose is to aid those who seek to travel through space by means of a Gate ritual. Each successive combat turn spent staring into the Trapezohedron grants him an automatic number of successes equal to his Elder Lore: Locations rating to learn of the shown destination. This greatly narrows down the time a magician must spend in research, though it comes with the aforementioned dangers for those of low intellect or who are ignorant of elder lore. There are myriad locations across the universe, not to mention in other dimensions, and rarely is the same place shown twice. Enhancements: Skill: +4 Casting roll (+4 Enhancements)*, Special: Gate ritual Research bonus (+5 Enhancements) * Applies only to Call Nyarlathotep (Haunter of the Dark avatar) or Commune Nyarlathotep (Haunter of the Dark avatar)

The Stone of Alhazred Unique Artifact 4 Leagues: — If the Necronomicon is to be believed, Abdul Alhazred not only encountered many Mythos entities, but was able to escape their presence by means of an enchanted stone that he presented forcefully at them. The exact nature of the stone is uncertain, but it fell from the stars on the eve of the third day of the Creation, was said to feel oily to the touch, and gave pious people who touched it severe headaches. Engraved in the stone was a single glyph. The mad author of that most dread book never described the glyph nor where he learnt of it. Using the stone requires an attack action and its power is solely that of the Fearsome Talent. At best, it keeps a creature cower for a few combat turns (6 seconds per turn). After that, the specific entity is forever immune to the stone’s power. Enhancements: Skill: Intimidation 10 dice (+4 Enhancements)*, Special: Can intimidate Mythos entities (+4 Enhancements), Talent: Fearsome (+2 Enhancements) * Only for the purposes of using the Fearsome Talent through the relic.

Chapter Three: Where Darkness Dwells “I have an odd craving to whisper about those few frightful hours in that ill-rumored and evilly shadowed seaport of death and blasphemous abnormality.” —H. P. Lovecraft, The Shadow Over Innsmouth

Africa Cavern of the Green Flame Location: Central Africa Eerie Atmosphere: –1 Legends of fire that sprouts from the earth are, so scholars insist, nothing more than pockets of natural gas that have been ignited, usually by lightning. Sustained by an unending source, they give rise to superstitious beliefs among technologically-primitive peoples. If only all such stories were as easy to explain by scientific means. Deep in the brooding hills of central Africa, in a land of festering jungle and dank swamps inhabited by swarms of plague-ridden mosquitoes, stands a small clump of weathered hills. A narrow cleft, easily missed by passers-by, cuts through the living rocks and spirals downward to a cavern on whose shores lap gentle waves from some unexplored ocean, as foul and blighted fungi grows. A jet of greenish fire belches forth from the barren earth, illuminating the cavernous region with its unearthly and sickening hue.

Carved on a nearby stone is a single word in an unknown tongue—Aelologgtho. The degenerate natives who inhabit the region bow low before the flame, offering prayers and sacrifices to their living god. As their ceremonies near their bloody climax, they howl the name of Aelologgtho repeatedly. Whether or not the word is actually the name of the living flame is, of course, unknown—it might just as easily refer to the cavern or the ocean, if indeed it has many meaning at all. To the natives, that is entirely irrelevant. Adventure Seed: When a member of the Prospectors’ Club discovers a 17th Portuguese journal describing an ever-burning flame in the wilds of Africa, he decides it is worth a trip, especially since the flame is supposedly green. Individuals wishing to put up funding in return for a share of the rewards are being sought among the Leagues of Adventure.

The City Without Men Location: Congo Free State Eerie Atmosphere: 0 Stories of the City Without Men are as old as the hills, a tale known to even the earliest European explorers and merchants. Many historians claim that, if it exists, it is merely an ancient ruin, its name merely implying that men live there no longer. Others of more fanciful imagination claim the city literally has no men, being inhabited only by beautiful maidens. In fact, men never occupied the site. Little is known of the city save that it sits

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raids that gave rise to the natives’ fear of the site and its name. For now, the Elder Things sleep once more, but the time of their next awakening is due soon, for the stars are almost right. Adventure Seed: A globetrotting explorer gives a presentation at which he displays a fivesided, flat greenish soapstone inscribed with strange sets of dots. Gifted it by a tribal elder whose life he saved, the globetrotter believes it suggests a previous unknown culture living in the wilds of central Africa.

The Genie’s Tomb

above a high plateau and that warriors who go there never return. From a distance, the towering, partial walls that encompass the plateau’s edge give the appearance of battlements raised by some gigantic race to protect them against a mightier foe. The city was born in a distant epoch, long before the ancestors of man crawled from the sea. The original builders were the Elder Things, that ancient race who were driven from their landlocked territories by the arrival of the Fungi from Yuggoth. Forced into hiding beneath the ground by their enemy, the Elder Things slumbered as countless stars were born and died. Only millions of years later did the creatures stir from torpor. Then, one or more of the inquisitive scientists took animals, and later men, for anatomical study, adding to the growing collection of specimens. It was these

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Location: Central Africa Eerie Atmosphere: –1 Long before the first Europeans sought to crush Africa beneath their imperial heels, King Solomon’s lands were plagued by devils and genies. The king, having defeated the vast army of godless creatures, offered them a choice. Those who would bow before God and accept his grace would be free, while those who continued to deny Him would be cast out. According to legend, the latter were bound into bottles, copper jars, and stone buildings, where they would remain imprisoned until the end of time. Merchants traveling between the lush jungles of the south and the harsh deserts of the north speak of one such structure. It lies within the dense, unexplored jungle somewhere east of German West Africa and north of the Congo Free State. The exact location has never been mapped, for the merchants venture near it only by accident. Even the jungle, which seeks to consume all things, dreads the site. The trees form a perfect circle some 50 yards from its center and within that area nothing grows and nothing lives. There sits a mass of gigantic stones with walls ripe with palpable evil. That the building was intended as a prison for something is clearly evident, for the great doorway is sealed by a metal door on which are inscribed Hebrew characters decreeing the door warded by the order of King Solomon and through which no man shall pass. Alas, the great lock which held the door closed has long been broken. The tribes who live closest to the site claim that slavers defied the will of God by sunder-

Where Darkness Dwells ing the lock long ago, but a white man, who also bore the name Solomon, slew the genie within. The creature the white man slew was not a genie, but a shoggoth, that most dread abomination of eldritch lore that Alhazred feverishly denied existed on Earth. No natives have ever plundered the tomb, fearful that any treasure within is cursed. There is, in fact, no material wealth within the chamber. All that exists is a worn set of stone steps that circle ever downward to unknown depths. What lies in that dark abyss that King Solomon, a powerful magician, saw fit to bind a guardian shoggoth inside? Adventure Seed: A member of the Old Testament Society, searching western Africa for King Solomon’s Mines, learned of the genie’s tomb from a wizened native elder. Although he has only a rough idea of where the site is located, now that he has returned home he is determined to fund an expedition.

Library of Alexandria Location: Egypt Eerie Atmosphere: 0 Founded by the Ptolemaic Dynasty (305-50 BC), and dedicated to the Muses, the Royal Library of Alexandria was the greatest repository of wisdom in the world. Scholars under the patronage of the pharaohs traveled far and wide to purchase and copy ancient works, while all ships berthing at the harbor were searched for texts, which were then confiscated and copies returned to the owners. Through this, the Library acquired a vast amount of lore—some scholars claim as many as 400,000 scrolls were amassed in the collection. Among those works were many Mythos tomes. Most were minor and obscure works, their contents known to modern scholars as vague rumors and hints in other works, but records suggest the Library held a copy of a Greek translation of the Pnakotic Manuscripts and a Chinese version of the Seven Cryptical Books of Hsan. History records that the Library suffered extensive damage during the time of Julius Caesar. Although recorded as an accident, the inferno originating with sparks from the de-

struction of Caesar’s fleet, the destruction occurred when soldiers loyal to Caesar attempted to seize the elder works for their commander, who intended to use the knowledge contained within to secure total control of the empire. The final act of destruction came in the reign of Emperor Theodosius in 391 AD. Sickened by what he had learned of the Library’s contents, the emperor declared paganism banned and all works referencing to such things put to the torch. Adventure Seed: When papyrus scrolls thought to be lost in the destruction of the Library turn up in an Alexandrian auction house, the Leagues are quick to send agents to purchase them. Among the works is a minor scroll of eldritch lore, a scroll that a cult will risk much to possess.

Mountains of the Moon Location: Central Africa Eerie Atmosphere: 0 The Mountains of the Moon were first named by Diogenes, a Greek merchant living in the 1st century AD. Blown off course while traversing the Indian Ocean, his ship was wrecked on the west coast of Africa. Believing that the great river that entered the sea close to where he had landed might lead to the then unknown source of the Nile, the merchant set off west. After a voyage of many months, all he had discovered of any note was a range of colossal mountains whose high peaks were permanently covered in snow. Although unable to explore their dizzying heights, Diogenes did make mention that atop the ridge line was clear evidence of fortifications—immense walls and towers that, in his opinion, were clearly the work of gods. Diogenes had, in fact, stumbled upon one of the unimaginably old cities constructed by the prehistoric Elder Things. Smaller in scope than the city at the Mountains of Madness, it nonetheless stretched for over a hundred miles. Henry Stanley (of Dr. Livingstone fame) discovered snow-capped mountains in 1889, but made comment in his diary that these were not the fabled Mountains of the Moon, for they lay “further to the east, as informed by my guide.”

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Cthulhu Codicil Adventure Seed: Stanley’s mountains, the Ruwenzori Range, lie along the border of the Congo Free State and Buganda (the British Uganda Protectorate after 1894). Although he has retired from exploring and set his sights on the world of politics, Stanley still retains a keen interest in Africa. Still believing the Mountains of the Moon exist somewhere in the Congo, he is prepared to help sponsor an expedition to find and map the peaks.

The Americas Akakor Location: Brazil/Peru Eerie Atmosphere: –1 Only a handful of non-natives have ever explored the deepest parts of the Amazon, and even fewer have ever heard of Akakor. Indian legends are notoriously vague, for no tribe knows where the city lies, save that it is somewhere near the border between Brazil and Peru. Stories passed down by their ancestors speak of a subterranean city of enormous size entered only by thirteen narrow gates, of the city being founded by survivors of a sunken continent (possibly Mu) over 12,000 years ago, and that the people worshipped gods that came from “beyond time and space.” A second city, Akanis, built by the same mysterious peoples, is supposedly located “where the two seas meet.” This may be in the region of Panama. A third conurbation, Akahim, is said to lie on the Brazilian border with Venezuela. All three cities are supposedly little more than ruins, the buildings being destroyed in a great and terrible war when the people lost favor with their unearthly deities. Adventure Seed: Lord Lazenby, a keen amateur archaeologist and sponsor of several expeditions, invites the globetrotters to dinner. Over a fine meal, he relates how his daughter, Eliza, a psychic, received a message from her South American Indian spirit guide concerning a lost city called Akakor. Lazenby is prepared to fund an expedition to locate and explore the city.

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Aramu Muru Location: Peru Eerie Atmosphere: 0 Native legends speak of Aramu Muru, a Tshaped indentation carved into a worked rock face, as a “gate to the land of the gods.” It is said that in ancient times priests of the Seven Rays Cult could unlock the stone gate through use of a golden disc known as the Key of the Seven Rays God. Through this wondrous device, they could pass beyond the portal and into a subterranean world. Locals still speak of the site with a mixture of awe and fear. Many have heard the tales of the elders, who tell of balls of light hovering the site or people who have passed through the gateway never to return. Depending on the Gamemaster’s view of the above, the site might be a portal to K’n-yan (see Leagues of Cthulhu), a ceremonial site where priests wise in eldritch lore continue to summon Children of the Fire Mist (see p. 68), or a site devoted to Yog-Sothoth, who is both the Key and the Gate. Adventure Seed: A spate of recent deaths, each described in lurid detail by a less than savory newspaper, have been recorded as spontaneous combustion. The globetrotters discover that the victims share one thing in common—they all recently returned from an expedition to Peru.

Bishop’s Corner Location: New York, USA Eerie Atmosphere: 0 Located in upstate New York State, Bishop’s Corner was established in 1684 by Puritan settlers led by Huxley Bishop. Ignoring the warnings of the native Oneida people (“People of the Upright Stone”)—who considered the land cursed—as primitive superstition, the settlers raised their homes and barns and began planting corn and pumpkins in the rich, dark soil. It didn’t take long for the settlers to learn that the Indians’ stories were true. Something lurked in the ground, a something that required blood offerings. Any sensible person would have vacated immediately, but Bishop was a

Where Darkness Dwells man learned in arts others would think ungodly. A bargain was struck with the entity—human blood in return for continued prosperity. The horror that lurks in the fields has given the inhabitants long life and good harvests, but it has stunted their social evolution. Dressed in garb redolent of Puritans, speaking an archaic version of English, and tilling the land as they did hundreds of years ago, the people of Bishop’s Corner are trapped in time. Every year, after the harvest has been gathered, the villagers make an offering to the Green Maiden (an avatar of Shub-Niggurath). When possible, they offer up strangers so as not to deplete their own numbers. When none are available (which is quite often given that Bishop’s Corner is far off the beaten track), a local is chosen by random lot. To be chosen is a great honor, as the person’s sacrifice ensures the continued survival of the community. In the middle of one of the pumpkin patches stands a solitary stone, weathered by time and stained dark with centuries of offerings. Here, the sacrifice’s throat is slit and their blood collected in a bowl. After a little is daubed on the stone, the blood is poured on the ground. Adventure Seed: Investigating a disappearance in upstate New York, the globetrotters follow the trail to Bishop’s Corner, just as the locals are planning their next sacrifice. With so many strangers in town at one time, the cult has its pick of offerings.

Church of Starry Wisdom Mythos Tale: The Haunter of the Dark Location: Providence, Rhode Island Eerie Atmosphere: –2 On the upper heights of Federal Hill, in the town of Providence, stands a large, dark church. At dusk, its immense tower and tall steeple are clearly highlighted against the red glow of the darkening sky. One might presume the tower and steeple would make an ideal roost for birds, and yet no animals venture near the church. Reaching the church is more difficult than one might think. The narrow, climbing streets, bordered on both sides by tall buildings that mask the view of the higher slopes, form a

labyrinth that never quite brings one to the summit of Federal Hill. Questioning the locals brings little aid, for they either shake their heads in feigned ignorance or hurriedly mutter something beneath their breath in a foreign tongue before crossing themselves or making other such protective gestures. Persistence, though, is eventually rewarded. There, surrounded by rusting railings in a cobbled courtyard, stands the abandoned and decrepit focus of the search. Despite the building’s general poor condition, the fragile windows are intact, as if mischievous boys saw breaking them as no sport—or something best avoided. The stout doors are padlocked against casual intrusion, and so rusted are the locks that picking them is an arduous task. Fortune extends her hand toward those seeking ingress, for toward the back of the church is an open basement window. From here, stairs lead to the ground floor. The furnishings of the immense nave are much as one would expect to find in a church— altar, pulpit, and pews. Oddly, the cross above the altar takes not the standard form of Christianity, but the loop-topped ankh of ancient Egypt. The only oddity. A thick layer of dust and ropy strands of cobwebs lie over everything. That the church was used for something other than accepted Christian services is evidenced in a rear vestry room. Close to disintegrating through neglect are copies of such forbidden books as the Latin edition of the Necronomicon, the Comte d’Erlette’s infamous Cultes des Goules, Von Juntz’s abhorrent Unaussprechlichen Kulten, and the dread Pnakotic Manuscripts. (The volumes are so badly damaged that following modifiers apply to all of them: +2 Complexity, –1 Horror, –1 Mythos; reduce number of spells by half.) Ascent of the tower, replete with the hard work of countless spiders, brings one to the upper chamber. In the center of the room stands a short pillar of strange geometry and cut with indecipherable hieroglyphs. Atop it lies an asymmetrical metal box. Within lies the Shining Trapezohedron (see p. 29). After 1893, a skeleton lies slumped in one corner of the attic. It is the physical remains of Edwin Lillibridge, a reporter who goes

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Cthulhu Codicil missing in that year. He can be identified from his reporter’s badge, which states he is an employee of the Providence Telegraph. In his jacket pocket is a small notebook, the contents of which outline basic information concerning the Church of Starry Wisdom cult and its eventual downfall. (Gamemaster’s looking to reproduce Lillibridge’s notes as a player handout will find a complete transcript in Lovecraft’s story The Haunter of the Dark.) Adventure Seed: In late 1892, Edwin Lillibridge contacts a globetrotter known to have an interest in the occult with regard a potential story. The reporter invites the globetrotter to Providence. By the time they arrive, Lillibridge has disappeared leaving only one clue behind—the words “Federal Hill church” scrawled on a piece of paper.

Detwiller Mansion Location: Pennsylvania Eerie Atmosphere: –1 The Detweiler family left Switzerland under a dark cloud after Anna Göldi (1734-82) named them as cohorts while under torture. Ostensibly tried as a witch, Göldi’s confessions were considered so profane in nature that the official records were burned soon after. Settling in rural Pennsylvania in 1786 after a brief stay in Arkham, Massachusetts, the family soon fell under suspicion by their neighbors, who accused them of partaking in “Indian rituals” at certain standing stones on their land and “entertaining persons of dark character.” Never ones to stray far from the family tree, their descendants bred extensively only with the degenerate hillfolk and Indians who farmed their lands. The last known scion of the family, Ivy Detwiller (1802-72), vanished during a thunderstorm in 1872. Although the house has been vacant for almost two decades, neighbors report seeing bonfires on the surrounding land during the fall months, when Algol the Demon Star is high in the night sky. Adventure Seed: Henry Ivey, a noted bibliophile and occult scholar, believes the Detwiller mansion contains several rare tomes. He hires the globetrotters to locate a surviving member of the family (or, failing that, a family

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lawyer) and convince them to sell any volumes of “historical interest.”

Hell’s Acres Mythos Tale: The Tree on the Hill (H. P. Lovecraft & Duane W. Rimel) Location: Oregon, USA Eerie Atmosphere: –1 Parts of the rugged Pacific Northwest have defied the will of homesteaders to tame the land and bring wealth out of the wilderness. One particularly inaccessible region, known as Hell’s Acres, is shunned by the indigenous New Perce Indians and the nearest settlers alike, for the Indians have impressed on them the belief that enormous devils frolic here when the “stars are right.” Atop one oddly-shaped hill is a large, barren patch of black soil. The surrounding region appears to have been seared away by some immense heat, yet no evidence of fire exists. None of the usual sounds of animal life disturb the air, nor the wind the one tree that stands solitary vigil in miles of desolation, rooted atop a high summit. Strange visions assail those who rest beneath the boughs of that gnarled tree with its round leaves. An immense stone temple rises from a ghastly ocean of primordial ooze, its unusual blue-violet color glittering with the red light of triple suns. Around the temple’s lofty spires circle strange creatures with scaly wings. The scene is unsettling, but to cross the threshold into the temple interior is to court madness. Within the roiling shadows that occupy that damned edifice built by no human hands can be seen the three flaming eyes of some otherwise invisible, tenuous monstrosity (possibly the Haunter of the Dark, one of Nyarlathotep’s many forms). Dreamers awaken screaming at this juncture, though not all do so with their reason intact. Adventure Seed: Having accidentally stumbled upon Hell’s Acres while on a nature ramble, a friend of a globetrotter made the mistake of taking a nap under the solitary tree. Since then, they have dreamed continually of the great temple and its profane inhabitant. Having written the globetrotter a strange let-

Where Darkness Dwells ter, in which they speak of “the temple,” “the three-lobed eye,” and “the Black Goat,” the rambler vanishes from the house.

The King House Location: Maine, USA Eerie Atmosphere: –1 (–2 at night) There has been a grand house overlooking the sleepy town of Edwin’s Lot since the early 18th century. The current building dates from 1846, the previous structure burning down three years earlier after being struck by lightning. Not that anyone from the Lot rushed to save the structure. Built by woodmill owner Bachman King, the house had an unsavory reputation even before work on it was started. Local folklore claimed a number of Indians were murdered on the hill after refusing to give the land to King’s great uncle, Bartholomew, and that their spirits lingered on the site. Numerous workers reported strange lights and odd happenings during the construction, with several carpenters refusing to return to work. While not ugly to behold, the house instilled a shudder in those who set eyes on it. Folk said they disliked the strange angles employed in its construction and the eyeshaped window with yellow glass that gazed impassively across Edwin’s Lot and shone with a baleful glow whenever a lantern was lit in the spacious room beyond. King’s son, Elijah, murdered his wife in that attic room after coming to believe she was unfaithful. He then committed suicide. The house then passed to a different branch of the King family, though with equally bad results. Nicodemus King, although never charged with any crime, was believed to have murdered several of his slaves after first torturing them. Henry King was suspected of dabbling in black magic, though John King, his nephew and heir, was considered far worse in his excesses. John was the last King to reside in the ancestral home. Officially, he perished during the Fire of ‘44. A total of nine skeletons were discovered in the charred remains, but none could be readily identified. With the house in ruins, the inhabitants of

Edwin’s Lot breathed a sigh of relief, at least for a short while. A new house was erected two years later after the land was bought by Isaac Marsh, a Bangor industrialist. Marsh was found babbling incoherently in the attic just a year later. The Wilkes family lasted two years before abruptly selling up. The Droods disappeared without a trace, leaving all their possessions behind. The last owner, Constance Makepeace, an eccentric who collected curios and antiques was discovered dead in the attic room, a look of utter terror on her face. Aside from Old Man Matthews, who maintains the exterior for Makepeace’s Boston-based executor but never ventures inside and always heads home long before dusk, no one goes near the house, despite the rumors that the furnishings are worth a small fortune. Adventure Seed: An antiques dealer known to the globetrotters has been hired by Constance Makepeace’s executor to appraise the furnishings in the King House. The dealer has not been in contact in several weeks. His wife, who also has not heard a word, asks the globetrotters to investigate.

Kingsport Mythos Tale: The Festival Location: Massachusetts Eerie Atmosphere: 0 (–1 old town) Founded in 1631 and named in honor of King Charles II of England by hardy seafarers from rugged Cornwall, Kingsport always been associated with the sea. From its roots as a small fishing village it grew into a prosperous town thanks to its deep harbor and shipbuilding industry. Larger ports further along the coast have reduced much of town’s wealth, but the industry remains strong. The oldest parts of town, where the steeplypitched buildings are nestled together along cobbled narrow streets and lanes, straddles the coast and around the base of Congregational Hill, the highest point. Until recently, the old Congregational Church was torn down and replaced with a hospital. Talk of tunnels running through the hill and down deep into the earth are commonplace, but none have ever been unearthed. Most stories

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Cthulhu Codicil relate to British soldiers hiding payrolls beneath the hill, but older denizens hint that odd ceremonies were held in the gloomy catacombs beneath. Likely these are half-forgotten memories of the four witches hanged on the hill in 1692. Adventure Seed: While clearing out the clutter from its archives, the Kingsport Historical Society unearths a parchment. If the contents are to be believed, they prove the existence not only of tunnels beneath Congregational Hill, but a natural cave system. The Speleological Society is keen to locate and explore the system, as are numerous antiquarians.

- The Strange House Kingsport lies in a defile bordered by high cliffs. Over the centuries, Kingsport’s inhabitants have given the bluffs names, such as The Causeway and Father Neptune, for their physical appearance. Atop the lofty cliffs stands a lone house, a gray cottage that has withstood wind and rain since the town’ foundation and the sight of which causes mariners to cross themselves and avert their eyes. Often visible above the sea-fog that frequently sweeps through the town, the house bears a sinister reputation. Older residents recall the night that a brilliant bolt of lightning shot heavenward from that strange house and of the unusual shapes that flap out of the mists. None visit the house, but Kingsport’s residents know it is occupied because of the yellow light that shines forth from the windows at night. Stories claim that the same person has dwelt there for centuries and that he or she can be seen on the cliff ’s edge when the morning mists rise, staring vacantly into space.

Lake Ontario Location: Canada Eerie Atmosphere: 0 In the Huron tongue, ontario means “Lake of Shining Waters.” In the folklore of the indigenous peoples who still live along its shoreline, the water is home to Gaasyendietha, a dragon that fell to the earth leaving a trail of fire that burned across the sky. At night, when the sky is dark and the air still, they say that the fires of

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Gaasyendietha, still burning after many eons, can be seen blazing beneath the surface. Remote parts of the forested shore have been the center of religious practices since time immemorial, as evidenced by clusters of standing stones aligned to unusual configurations of the stars. The descendants of the Americans who settled the area after the Revolutionary War still live in isolated farms and cabins. They are widely shunned by their neighbors in the larger towns and villages, who accuse them of having adopted strange customs. Adventure Seed: In 1893, Lake Ontario freezes over. Several Leagues hastily plan to winter over on the ice in order to better study the lake beneath, and the globetrotters are invited to join their ranks. One evening, a lone man staggers into their camp. Before he succumbs to the biting cold, he tells of how their expedition saw lights beneath the ice and drilled down in order to investigate. His last words are “we awoke the dragon.” With that, a fierce blizzard blankets the lake.

Merrymount Location: Massachusetts Eerie Atmosphere: 0 Founded in 1625 as Mount Wollaston by one Captain Wollaston, the small settlement came under the guidance of Thomas Morton when Wollaston left for Virgina a few years later. Morton was a native of a “dark corner of Devon” of strange appearance and held beliefs that were far older than the Christian faith he proclaimed to follow. Within months, the colony had gained an unsavory reputation, with excessive drunkenness and dalliances with the bulging-eyed, flabby-lipped Indians who lived in the vicinity. To honor his true faith, Morton renamed the site Ma-re Mount (“Hill by the Sea”), pronunced Merrymount by outsiders. Christianity was soon replaced with an older, darker religion, to which the neighboring Puritans remarked, “They set up a May-pole, drinking and dancing about it many days together, inviting the Indian women for their consorts, dancing and frolic together (like so many fairies, or furies rather) and worse practices.” The cult did not last long. Morton was

Where Darkness Dwells arrested in 1627 and banished to England, where he died in 1647. As for the settlement, it was renamed Braintree in 1640, though the original site retained the name Merrymount. In 1792 it was given yet a new name—Quincy—which it retains to this day. Adventure Seed: The citizens of Ma-re Mount were chastised for their wicked ways and brought back into the Christian fold, but the religion taught them by Morton could never be expunged from their hearts. During a raid in the dockside slums, police searching for missing children recovered a strange idol. Photographs of the idol circulated in the locals newspapers, eventually catching the eye of an antiquarian. Intrigued by the unusual artform, he contacted the Leagues.

Mount Shasta Location: California Eerie Atmosphere: 0 Located in the Cascade Range, Mount Shasta is a 14,000 feet high semi-active volcano. Visible on a clear day from over 120 miles away, its steep conical shape has inspired artists and authors and attracted geologists. Local tribal lore states the mountain is home to the Spirit of the Above-World, an entity that descended from the heavens long ago. A more recent story, developed by European settlers, claims that refugees from sunken Lemuria founded a city inside the mountain. Stories of natural caves which developed into worked passageways and sightings of strange men and women clad in white robes are commonplace in the nearby mining towns. Frederick Oliver (b. 1866) claimed that a spirit being named Phylos the Thibetan (aka Yol Gorro) imparted to him information that proved the claims were real, but that the refugees actually came from Atlantis. He has recorded his account of the story in A Dweller on Two Planets, a book that has yet to be published (and historically won’t be until 1905). If the stories are indeed true, they are perhaps a distortion of subterranean K’n-yan. Given that the heart of K’n-yan lies in Oklahoma, it would appear that the realm extends far greater distances than previously imagined.

Adventure Seed: While prospecting on Mount Shasta, JC Brown, a British prospector, discovered a cave system that extended for 11 miles into the earth. On his return, he spoke of an abandoned village in which he found gold objects, metal shields, and numerous 10-foot tall mummies. While the Leagues hastily try to fund an expedition, news reaches them that Brown, the only man who knows where the cave lies, has disappeared. [Historical Note: This seed is supposedly historical record, although the events take place in 1905 and 1935.]

National Library Location: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Eerie Atmosphere: 0 The National Library owes its origins not to

Cthulhu Codicil a wealthy benefactor, but to a natural disaster thousands of miles distant. In 1755, the Portuguese capital, Lisbon, was wracked by a devastating earthquake. The Portuguese Royal Library, at that time one of the most impressive collections of its kind in Europe, was moved to Brazil in 1810 as a safeguard against it being destroyed by another earthquake. Since that time, the collection has steadily grown. While many of the texts may be of interest to globetrotters, Manuscript 512 stands out for its unusual content. Supposedly penned in 1753 by João da Silva Guimarães, a noted Portuguese adventurer and treasure-hunter, the worm-eaten manuscript describes the discovery of an ancient city deep in the Amazon jungle.The explorer tells of encountering a ridge of ominous mountains whose lofty peaks scraped the heavens and whose weathered stone glowed like fire in sunlight. Within the mountains they discovered a narrow defile clearly worked by intelligent hands—the sides were hacked smooth and stones were neatly laid to form a pathway. At the end of the ascent, the defile opened into a wide valley. Seated in the center was a magnificent city of indeterminable antiquity. The manuscript speaks of it being constructed on a grand scale, with open terraces, large, windowless buildings devoid of any remnants of furniture, and of destroyed temples bearing the likeness of bearded youths crowned with laurel. In one square rose a black monolith that caused unease in the expedition. Atop it stood the statue of a man, his right index finger pointing at Polaris, the Pole Star. Much of the city lay in ruins, apparently from an earthquake. Nothing grew in the damaged portions, in which were found “hideous openings in the ground.” Beyond the city flowed a wide river. Following it downstream for three days, the explorers turned back in fear after finding several “underground hollows and hideous pits.” The manuscript also includes copies of inscriptions found in the main temple, on a stately manor house, and on numerous broken slabs. These have yet to be deciphered. It is fortunate the Portuguese did not tarry in the city or attempt to plumb the depths of

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the numerous pits, for they lead to dark caverns in which stand statues to the Great Old One Tsathoggua and which are inhabited by his black and formless spawn. Adventure Seed: Manuscript 512 is forgotten until a librarian accidentally stumbles across it. Unsure of its veracity, and intrigued by the mysterious glyphs, he contacts the Society of Antiquarians. An expedition is arranged and intrepid globetrotters are sought. Gamemaster’s Notes: At the Gamemaster’s discretion, translating one of the lines of glyphs automatically (and successfully) casts Commune Tsathoggua. The next time the translator sleeps, the god contacts him in his dreams.

Phillipsport Location: Massachusetts Eerie Atmosphere: 0 It would be erroneous to say that the small fishing village of Phillipsport ever had a heyday, for even the times were considered good the rewards they brought were paltry compared to places like Innsmouth a few miles further along the coast. Save when the glassy-eyed, slack-jawed locals visit the nearby markets for provisions every few weeks, outsiders rarely set on eyes on them, for few have need to travel the single lane, rutted track that winds along the coast and that ends at the decaying buildings. True, they are not as shunned as the strange folk of Innsmouth, but the blood that courses through their veins is weak, with more than a few close kin being more intimate with each other than is considered godly. The only reason Phillipsport is known in the wider world is because of the Phillips Institute. Founded in 1867 by one Warren Phillips, a scion of the educated Boston branch of the first settlers to make home in the village bearing their name, almost nothing is known concerning the research that took place there. Stories abound within the scientific community of experiments involving everything from biology to time travel, but the few living scientists who worked there are reticent to even acknowledge their previous employment. The Institute, which stands away from

Where Darkness Dwells the village proper, is a ruin. During the Great Storm of ‘86, the building was struck by a tremendous bolt of lightning. Eight people died in the accident, as reported in the Arkham Advertiser. Rumors of other scientists being quietly dispatched to distant asylums surface every now and then, but there is no supporting evidence. Adventure Seed: While browsing a scientific library, a globetrotter discovers a page of scientific equations written on Phillipsport Institute letterhead. Scrawled across the page in a shaking hand are the words c’uln ebumnanoth ph’nglui r’uhagl (loosely translated from R’lyehian it means “We call the native of the pit from beyond the threshold of the secret/ hidden place.”) Were the scientists trying to summon an extra-dimensional entity to Earth? Does any evidence remain in the ruins of the Institute?

Pilgrims’ Holt Location: Massachusetts, USA Eerie Atmosphere: –2 Pilgrims’ Holt doesn’t appear on any modern maps. The nearest settlement is the small, rural town of Pelton. As far as the town’s historical society is aware, Pilgrims’ Holt hasn’t been included on any maps since 1709. Not that anyone has a reason to venture there or point strangers to its location—the Holt, as it is known locally, is universally shunned by the inhabitants of Pelton. Papers in the Pelton Historical Society’s archives state that Pilgrims’ Holt was founded in 1655 by Constitution Caine, a Puritan pastor, an apocalyptic preacher hounded out of Boston. Almost immediately official records fall silent, although some of the antiquarians suggest certain papers were expunged from the archives at some juncture. Folklore has filled the void, though few of Pelton’s citizens welcome discussions on the topic. Rumors rapidly spread of strange behavior in Pilgrims’ Holt. Caine held a strange grip on the town, permitting only a few chosen disciples, all mutes, to venture to Pelton for provisions, and arranging marriages between his followers. The few Pelton citizens who at-

tended church services in Pilgrims’ Holt invariably came back white-faced and speaking of the pastor’s “que’r Psalms and prayeth’rs.” Children born to the Holt’s inhabitants were invariably physically deformed. Caine, whose appearance seemed to vary little over the decades, wed these degenerates to others of their ilk, ensuring each generation became more and more ungodly in appearance. Despite shunning the church and its inbred congregation, the inhabitants of Pelton could not miss the weird lights that danced above the church steeple during the nights of the new moon or the chants that drifted on the oddly stormy air. They remained silent until their livestock, and later their children, began to disappear. On October 19, 1703, following a great storm that caused substantial damage to Pelton, the citizens rose up and marched to the Holt to bring Caine to justice as a witch. They found the settlement abandoned. There was no indication of violence or disease. Indeed, folklore claims the hearths were still warm, meals were left half-eaten, and the oil lamps burned brightly. Believing the villagers might have taken shelter in the church, the wary people of Pelton investigated. Again, folklore is the sole source of what they discovered. The great crucifix that adorned one wall and been placed upside down, a “Satan’s Bible” was open on the lectern, and a goat’s skull stood atop the altar. Fearing the Devil might be present in person, the curious onlookers fled. The only other mention of Pilgrims’ Holt occurred in 1775. In July of that year, a group of American Loyalist troops from the Massachusetts Volunteers on a foraging mission entered the region around Pelton. After ransacking the town, the militia’s commanding officer, Lieutenant J. H. Danforth opted to billet his men in nearby Pilgrims’ Holt. That night the citizens of Pelton huddled in their homes as a terrible storm accompanied by lightning of all colors rocked the area. Come the morning, a posse of citizens overcame their fear of Pilgrims’ Holt and sought to learn whether the soldiers were still there. It was the last time anyone from Pelton entered the Holt. Of those five men, two lost

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Cthulhu Codicil their minds and were incarcerated in an asylum, one committed suicide, one left Pelton, and one disappeared from his home. Weird lights and unearthly sounds still haunt Pilgrims’ Holt, but the residents of Pelton have long learned to keep their curiosity in check. Adventure Seed: The Pelton Historical Society invites a globetrotter (ideally an American with a background in history) to speak to their members. While browsing the archives, the globetrotter learns that one of their distant relatives lives in town. On meeting with them for tea, the globetrotter learns of Pilgrims’ Holt.

Roanoke Colony Location: North Carolina Eerie Atmosphere: 0 Established in 1585, Roanoke was one of the earliest British colonies in America. The

first settlement, left to its own devices for two years, was found abandoned when supply ships returned in 1587. Undeterred, the commander of the fleet ordered the colonists who has travelled with him to disembark and start a new colony on the same site. Distracted by the war against Spain, British ships would not return to Roanoke for three years. Once again, they found the settlement deserted. Despite searches, no trace of the missing souls was ever found. Adventure Seed: Recently, however, an antiquarian has uncovered a new clue in the mystery. The best depiction of the region is the Virginea Pars map, drawn by the colony’s governor, John White, before his return to England in 1587 and housed in the British Museum. The scholar noticed that the map had been corrected in two places, the underlying cartography overlain by patches of paper. Surreptitiously peeling away part of the paper, he discovered an image of “a large, square-shaped symbol with oddly shaped corners.” No evidence of such a structure was ever found in the vicinity of the colony. Naturally, the Leagues of Adventure plan expeditions.

Sacsayhuamán Location: Peru Eerie Atmosphere: 0 Overlooking the city of Cuzco, former capital of the Incan Empire, are Cyclopean ruins whose enormous blocks are slotted together like pieces of a giant’s jigsaw. Conventional history insists the walls were raised by the Inca and that the structure served as a fortress. Records penned by the Conquistadors certainly support this view. It is certainly true the Inca built structures atop the extant ruins, but the gigantic stones are far older. They are all that remains of a city built many millions of years ago by the Fungi from Yuggoth, who mined the nearby mountains. The original city was toppled by seismic activity during the rise of the Andes. While the Spanish invaders demolished the Incan buildings, they were unable to damage the great stones, which they considered to have been built by the Devil. Adventure Seed: Stories of Inca gold hid-

Where Darkness Dwells den from the Conquistadors in labyrinthine tunnels are still commonplace. When an earth tremor shatters one of the huge stones at Sacsayhuamán and reveals the entrance to a tunnel, the Leagues decide to mount an expedition. By the time they arrive, the locals are already talking of a “great bat” that flew out of the tunnel and circled the city three times before heading north.

Seneca Lake Location: Central New York Eerie Atmosphere: –1 One of the 11 bodies of water that make up the Finger Lakes, the water of Seneca Lake is both cold and deep. The Iroquois who settled around the other lakes never frequented Seneca Lake. Clustered on its shore were small villages inhabited by a debased and degenerate people who had long forsaken the traditional spirits of their ancestors. Their faith was centered around the worship of a grotesque deity that lived in the water and required regular human sacrifice. During the Sullivan Expedition (1779), a contingent of Continental troops broke away from the main force, which was tasked with destroying Cayuga and Seneca settlements, and headed straight for Seneca Lake. Obeying their orders to the letter, they torched every settlement they could find and put a bloody end to the heathen people. Today, nothing remains of those strange natives save for a handful of weathered statues of interest only to anthropologists and historians. Now and then, the area around the lake is subjected to cannon-like booms that reverberate through both air and land. The Iroquois once associated them with the fell rituals conducted by their ungodly neighbors, but with those people long dead, what may be responsible for the eerie sounds is unexplained. Adventure Seed: Convinced the booms are nothing more than unusual aerial phenomena, the Meteorological Society sent an expedition to Seneca Lake. Six months has passed without word, and the League is worried. Globetrotters with experience of the wild are being sought to mount a rescue expedition.

Summerfields Asylum Location: South Carolina, USA Eerie Atmosphere: –1 Constructed in 1819, Summerfields Asylum was a privately-run madhouse. During the Civil War, it was used as a hospital for wounded Confederate soldiers. Local folklore claims that Union soldiers captured the hospital and massacred the wounded some time in 1862. Given that this supposed event occurred within living memory, there is no corroborating evidence. Most commentators agree any wounded would be transferred to a Union prison camp (where they would likely have died due to lack of medical care). Certainly something odd took place, but this was in 1879. Hospital records reveal that a specific mania took root among the inmates. The furore started with a single patient—Eliza King—but soon every lunatic became convinced that something was stalking through the asylum at night. When the routine provisions wagon arrived on September 14, the traders found the asylum deserted. The last log written by the attendant psychiatrist, dated three days earlier, stated only “The inmates are vocal to the point of mania.” A hasty police investigation concluded only that there were no signs of foul play, a conclusion made all the more questionable because all the inmates’ rooms were securely locked. Despite relatives’ many unanswered questions, the case was closed in 1882. The asylum never reopened and remains vacant. Adventure Seed: Still angered at the authorities’ continuing refusal to open a second inquiry, one of the inmate’s families hires the globetrotters to conduct a private investigation. All the asylum records are stored in the courthouse archives in nearby Clintsville.

Asia Baalbek Location: Lebanon (Ottoman Empire) Eerie Atmosphere: 0

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Cthulhu Codicil The majestic temple complex at Baalbek has seen much use through the ages. The current view is that it was originally founded by Egyptian priests and was later reused and rebuilt by the Phoenicians and Romans. It is the ruins of the grand Roman temples that are clearly evident today. Certain records, considered of dubious authenticity by mainstream scholars, suggest the Egyptian priests were renegades, expelled from their homeland for partaking in outlawed religious practices. Given that the Phoenicians worshipped Astarte, whose darker and little-known aspects certain Mythos scholars broodingly equate with Shub-Niggurath, here, it is quite possible the site has long been associated with the vile Great Old One regarded as a deity of fertility and fecundity. Islamic lore states that the site was once a palace, raised by genies at the command of King Solomon for the Queen of Sheba. Other legends suggest it was constructed by giants or by Cain, the first murderer, who lived here to hide from God’s wrath. The lowest courses of gigantic stones are far older than any historian dares to suggest. In time immemorial, the site was an Elder Thing colony. For those who have delved into the Mythos, clear evidence is found in odd patterns of circular indentations. Antiquarians argue these are tool marks, whereas they are, in fact, fragments of writing inscribed millions of years ago. The colony was destroyed during the ancient wars with the Fungi from Yuggoth over 200 million years ago. Adventure Seed: In 1898, Kaiser Wilhelm II and his wife visit Baalbek while en route to Jerusalem. Within a month, a German archaeological expedition begins excavating. Did the kaiser find something relating to the Mythos during his visit? If so, what do the Germans hope to gain from excavating here?

Biringan City Location: Samar Province, Philippines Eerie Atmosphere: –2 The name of this legendary city is well known in local legend, though mentioning the name Biringan to a local is likely to elicit rapid

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crossing in the Catholic fashion and the uttering of protective prayers or chants as opposed to helpful directions. According to those few who have seen Biringan, the only architecture is tall, black towers. Unfortunately, the few descriptions come from the mouths of howling lunatics found wandering the wilds and are thus treated as the delusional ravings of a deranged mind rather than an accurate recording. Exactly where Biringan stands is a mystery. The area where the black towers rise is mountainous and heavily forested and aside from a handful of remote villages there is no human presence. The degenerate natives who occupy the impoverished villages deny any knowledge of Biringan, though their replies appear less than sincere to the trained ear. What manner of being may have raised Biringan, also known as the Black City, is never mentioned in folklore. The supposed occupants are known only by the vague term encantos (“enchanted ones”). Supposedly they are shapechangers, which might explain why the city is rumored to be filled with the offspring of their union with humans. Adventure Seed: A team of prospectors employed by a gold mining company has vanished in Samar province. The company, keen to keep this quiet lest rivals firms learn of their interest, hires the globetrotters to locate the expedition and recover any mineral samples and journals.

Enoch, City of Location: Unknown Eerie Atmosphere: 0 The blasphemous The Mythos in the Bible claims that Cain slew his brother, Abel because the latter learned his sibling had been dabbling in eldritch lore, having forsaken the god of his parents. Banished for his wicked act, Cain travelled to the Land of Nod, where he founded Enoch, the first city. Here he continued his study into the Mythos through summoning Children of the Mist. The Koran seems to suggest Abel knew the nature of Cain’s source, for Abel states, “I fear God, the Lord of all worlds, and I would rather you were burdened with my sins as well as yours

Where Darkness Dwells and became an inhabitant of the Fire: such is the evildoers’ reward.” Ismail ibn Kathir (1300-73), a noted historian and scholar, wrote in Al-Bidaya wa-n-Nihaya (“The Beginning and the End”) that Cain and his offspring indulged in fire worship, as well as various acts of debauchery. Nothing is known concerning the location of Nod or Enoch, save they were east of Eden. Apocryphal tales state Enoch was destroyed along with its wicked population during the Flood. If any eldritch lore written in that distant age survived the cataclysm, then it would undoubtedly be in the form of inscribed tablets. Such a find would be of great value to Biblical scholars, historians, and students of the Mythos alike. Another line of thought, one that would be equally blasphemous to many followers of the Abrahamic faiths should it become public knowledge, holds that Enoch is actually a racial memory of Sarnath, whose doom was to be submerged beneath the lake on whose shores it stood. Adventure Seed: The discovery of a bundle of letters written by Elizabethan occultist Edward Kelley (1555-97) have many Leagues excited. One of the letters, written in Enochian (the language of angels) mentions an expedition funded by Kelley to the city of Enoch. Kelley’s directions are vague, but hint at a valley in Afghanistan.

Kadatheron Location: The Land of Mnar Eerie Atmosphere: –2 Mentioned only in the obscure Doom that came to Sarnath (see Leagues of Cthulhu), Kadatheron once stood in the lost land of Mnar on the banks of the river Ai. Although referenced in writing just once, its name appears in several Asian oral legends. If the stories are to be believed, the city was famed for its brick cylinders, on which the inhabitants inscribed the history of the region. Among the writings is a description of the flabby-lipped, green-hued denizens of Ib, whose vengeance on Sarnath forms the core of the aforementioned play. Although widely believed to be a myth, a fiction invented as background flavor for the

Genies in the Mythos Through portrayal in cinema and pantomime, jinn (singular: jinni) have become little more than humanlike, wish-giving spirits that live in brass lamps. Pre-Islamic lore regarded them as intermediaries between mortals and the gods and the inspiration of poets and soothsayers. That said, they were feared for their power to cause madness and disease, and because they lived in the darkest places. Early Islamic lore placed them above mortals but below angels. Later, they were demoted to the status of demons—enemies of Allah. The name jinn means “to conceal/hide,” though some scholars more poetically interpret it as “beings that are concealed from the senses.” Jinn are mostly racial memories of, and rare historical encounters with, two alien races—the Flying Polyps and Fungi from Yuggoth. Other possible entities named as jinn in stories include Black Winged Ones, Children of the Fire Mist, Courtiers of Azathoth, Dimensional Shamblers, Feasters from the Stars, Hounds of Tindalos, Night-gaunts, and Shoggoths. Such creatures are not found on this planet as standard, and thus encounters must have involved summoned horrors.

Flying Polyps Invisible much of the time, Flying Polyps lurk in ruins now deep beneath the surface of the earth and are of monstrous form. In some legends, jinn are said to appear in sandstorms, a phenomenon easy for the Polyps to manifest through their unearthly control of wind.

Fungi from Yuggoth The Fungi also dwell in dark places (in caves mostly) and are hideous to the human eye, thus inspiring too legends concerning the jinn. Through their buzzing voices they may have inspired the aforementioned poets and prophets, as well as aided magicians seeking to harness the arcane power of the Mythos.

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Cthulhu Codicil

Greek play, some academics argue that the city was real. They claim that rather than inventing the brick cylinders, the play was pieced together from actual remnants unearthed in antiquity. Adventure Seed: While browsing a bazaar somewhere in the Middle or Near East, a globetrotter is offered a brick cylinder inscribed with strange writing. The seller, a disreputable looking man, claims the artifact is very old and valuable. He adds that it was the property of an antiquarian, whose collection was sold off after his untimely death.

large population, the town was a center of commerce. During the short summer months, furs and walrus tusks harvested during the previous fall and spring were dispatched to Archangel, from where they would be traded with British, Dutch, and Norwegian merchants. Its wealth, combined with its isolated location, made it virtually independent of the Russian tsars. For reasons as yet unknown, access to the city was forbidden in 1619. Anyone found sailing the Northern Sea Route was automatically put to death by imperial soldiers, navigational logs indicating the position of the remote town were confiscated and destroyed, maps marking its location were changed, and armed patrols with orders to shoot anyone attempting to reach the city were sent to surrounding lands. The last mention of its name in official records is in 1678, when it is said to have been razed to the ground by fire. No official mention of why the town was suddenly quarantined and expunged from the records exists in the Russian archives, though rumors still circulate. One suggests the decision was merely to protect the location of the trading settlement from British spies. Another states that merchants working inland grew jealous of the riches flowing into Mangazeya are petitioned the tsar to weaken its power. A third, one heard only in ports along Russia’s northern coast, speaks of a hideous plague or infestation that caused the inhabitants to develop an unnatural appearance. Adventure Seed: The British government has caught rumors of a planned Russian expedition to locate the ruins of Mangazeya. Always prepared to get one over on the Russians, the government immediately offers to fund its own expedition to the wilds of Siberia. The initial problem facing both teams is locating the lost city, for very few records now exist.

Mangazeya

Mount Qaf

Location: Siberia, Russia Eerie Atmosphere: –1 Founded by Cossacks in 1600, sits on the banks of the Taz River, mately flows into the Arctic Ocean Yamal Peninsula. Although never

Location: Unknown Eerie Atmosphere: –4 In Persian lore, Mount Qaf might relate to the highest mountain in the world, a realm of daevas (“false gods”), or the nest of the simurgh (a phoenix-like bird). In Arabic lore,

Xanadu In 1797, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, inspired by a drug-induced dream, penned the poem Kubla Khan; or, A Vision in a Dream: A Fragment. Although superficially describing the summer palace of Kublai Khan, it appears that in his dream state Coleridge actually visited K’n-yan. He tells, for instance, of the river Alph, which flows through immense caverns down to a sea never warmed by sunlight. In the next verse he mentions walls and towers surrounded by gardens, much as one might find in the city of Tsath. The land is described both as savage and holy, again something that might equally relate to subterranean K’n-yan. And what of the Abyssinian maid and the man with flashing eyes who had dined on honey-dew and drunk the milk of Paradise? Could these not be members of the decadent master race for whom pleasure is all? Coleridge could never have dreamed of the fictional realm of K’n-yan, of course, but this sidebar does show how easily fact and fiction can be blended when working with Lovecraft’s Mythos.

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Mangazeya which ultieast of the boasting a

Where Darkness Dwells the mountain is said to be the “farthest point of the earth” (located on the far side of the world ocean) and of such monstrous height that its summit is “known only to Allah.” Given its unknown location and description, not to mention the similarity of its name, Mount Qaf may actually refer to Mount Kadath (see Realm of Morpheus: The Dreamlands), which lies beyond the fabled Plateau of Leng. Adventure Seed: Members of the Alpine Club believe Mount Qaf describes a mountain on the largely unexplored continent of Antarctica. They are sponsoring an expedition to locate, and scale, the mountain, and seek globetrotters of suitable character and experience.

Mount Yamantau Location: Russia Eerie Atmosphere: –1 The Ural Mountains, raised 250 million years ago, cut Russia in twain from north to south. A source of coal, minerals, and precious stones, they have been exploited since the early 18th century. Although the mining settlements remain remote in terms of location, the largest of them are today linked to greater Russia by railways. Standing 5,380 feet above sea level, Mount Yamantau is the highest peak in the southern Urals. The Bashkirs, who inhabit the surrounding territory, have long treated the mountain as a forbidden place, naming it “Wicked Mountain.” Hunters who scoured its higher slopes would either vanish or return a changed person. Attempts to boost local fortunes by first prospecting and then digging for mineral wealth met with repeated disaster. Prospectors would vanish without a trace and exploratory tunnels would collapse despite being well constructed. Sightings of strange creatures did little to tempt miners onto the mountain. The Bashkirs are wise to avoid Mount Yamantau, for it is home to a declining and degenerating colony of Fungus from Yuggoth. Largely isolated from their kin elsewhere on the planet, the Fungi respond aggressively to the presence of trespassers. Adventure Seed: The globetrotters are approached by a reporter. He presents them with a flattened stone bearing a single hieroglyph

(an Elder Sign) and asks their opinion about its origins. The reporter claims the stone was smuggled out of Russia, where it had been unearthed inside a large piece of coal. Curiosity should hopefully see the globetrotters arranging an expedition.

The Mountain of Genies Location: Afghanistan Eerie Atmosphere: –1 Bordered to the south by a branch of the ancient Silk Road, the mountains of southeastern Afghanistan are inhabited by hardy and fierce tribes who value their independence. One in particular carries a bad reputation and is much feared. Known by their neighbors only as the Sky Devils, the tribe haunts a barren peak. The tribesmen are feared for their stealth, for they take animals and people without leaving any trace. Most often their captives are never seen again, but on occasion mutilated corpses are discovered in the arid valley below. Having heavy losses in the region during the First Anglo-Afghan War (1839-42), the British left the tribes in peace for decades. During the Second Anglo-Afghan War (1878-80), the British attempted to prevent a recurrence by striking first. Two companies of the 2nd battalion of the East Surrey Regiment supported by elements of the 1st Regiment of Cavalry, Punjab Frontier Force (renamed the 1st Prince Albert Victor’s Own Regiment of Cavalry, Punjab Frontier Force in 1890) marched into the valley beneath the mountain. Nothing was seen of them again. Other tribes shun the mountain, believing it was the first peak selected by Noah but that he sailed south when he saw that wicked genies had survived the Flood and had taken up residence on the mountain. Explorers seeking to map the region around the mountain have had no success. Locals have pointed out the peak from a distance, yet every expedition has failed to reach it, suffering attack from unseen opponents who strike at night and destroy provisions and equipment, facing problems with compasses not working properly, or becoming lost in the network of valleys. The mountain is home to a small colony of Fungi from Yuggoth. Having been left in peace

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Cthulhu Codicil for untold centuries, they have reacted badly to the recent British incursion. Adventure Seed: A member of an expedition lost several months earlier has staggered back to Kabul (Afghanistan’s capital). Raving mad, he has spoken only of “winged devils,” “monoliths from beyond time,” and “basalt ruins.”

Ponape Location: Pacific Ocean Eerie Atmosphere: 0 The island of Ponape forms part of the Caroline Islands. Fyodor Litke, a Russian navigator, was the first European to spy the island, doing so in 1828. Since then its native inhabitants have witnessed the arrival of missionaries, whalers, and Spanish officials. Although the island is governed by Spain for much of the 1890s, it is sold to Germany in 1899 following the Spanish-American War. The interior is swathed in dense jungle, and the majority of settlements stand along the shore. Ponape is noteworthy for the near constant rains it endures, with annual rainfall near the interior mountains averaging an astounding 25 feet! Off the southeast coast stand the megalithic ruins of Nan Madol. Comprised of 100 artificial islands and islets linked by a network of canals, Nan Madol is a city constructed of stone “logs” of regular length and thickness. The natives speak poorly of Nan Madol, claiming the site is haunted. Legends claim that the inhabitants, a race of men who came from across the ocean long ago, were of advanced intelligence. One of their number, a powerful magician by all accounts, used his magic to fly the stone “logs” across the ocean from their distant quarry. The strangers ruled over the islanders as kings, but quickly but fell to depravity, for they began to worship an octopus-like deity unknown to the natives. Within a few generations the descendants of the kings began to develop webbed hands and feet, bulbous eyes, and green skin. Eventually they became a race of “sea devils” and descended into the ocean. On nights of the full moon, the natives claim their unearthly voices can be heard hon-

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oring their fell god. Rarely, a child is born to the natives with the taint of the “sea devils.” The unfortunate babe is placed in a boat and pushed out to sea, where it is believed the “sea devils” claim it as one of their own. No writings or art adorn the walls of Nan Madol, and the few archaeologists who have visited the site have labeled it as “interesting but unwilling to reveal its secrets.” Adventure Seed: Famed explorer Elias Waite, recently returned from a lengthy expedition in the South Pacific, has astounded the Leagues with the rich collection of indigenous art he brought back. One of the pieces, a rude statuette carved from green stone, depicts a creature that is neither human, octopus, or dragon, but some vile blend of the three. The globetrotters become involved when Waite disappears from his hotel.

Rub’ al Khali Location: Arabian Peninsula Eerie Atmosphere: 0 Dominating the southern third of the Arabian Peninsula, the Rub’ al Khali (“Empty Quarter”) is a hyper-arid wasteland of mountainous dunes covering over 650,000 square miles. Here there is only sand and death, and the latter comes in many forms—dehydration, hunger, heatstroke, serpents, scorpions, spiders, and the occasional nomadic tribe. Baked by temperatures reaching 51 °C (124 °F), the surface is waterless. Yet this was not always so. Thousands of years ago, the landscape was dotted with shallow lakes, though they have since evaporated. Bedouin know where to find water in the many caves and to dig deep in the sand after the sporadic rainfalls. Even the bravest tribesmen are reluctant to stray far from their campfires at night, especially when thunder booms across the clear, star-laden sky and faint piping is heard on the breeze. When the sun descends, the desert night is said to be haunted by genies and ghouls. The former care nothing for humans, seeking only to drive them insane or rend them limb from limb before sucking out their succulent marrow, leaving the withered husks to bake in

Where Darkness Dwells the sun. Folklore says the latter can lead the curious or mad to the site of lost cities or impart eldritch lore, but their price is high—the ghouls demand a human corpse in return. The nomads know the genies are tricksters. Mirages are attempts to lead thirsty travelers deeper into the wastes or lure them to their deaths in dry quicksand. Yet they greatly fear the hazy sight of collapsed walls and pitted pillars sometimes seen in the desert, for these are not illusions, but a glimpse behind the veil of the present and into the distant past. Within these ghost-like ruins the faint echo of camels braying and the call of merchants still ring out, while the scent of fragrant spices hangs in the dry air. As the curious explorer delves deeper into the ruins, the bones of the city grow new flesh, transforming back to their former grandeur, and the shades of the longdead inhabitants become corporeal. To eat or drink anything from the illusionary city, or to converse with the inhabitants, never ends well. Such physical mirages never last long before fading into nothingness. Those who consume or converse vanish with it, never to be seen again. Such lost persons, the nomads believe, become the slaves, or food, of the genies who haunt the city.

- Lost Cities of Arabia Eerie Atmosphere: 0 Bedouin lore tells of numerous cities lost beneath the desert sands. Names such as Ad, Iram of the Pillars, and Ubar are also found in the Koran and the Arabian Nights. Modern scholars are divided as to whether these are the same city under differing names, a multitude of lost cities, the names of historical regions that changed as new overlords stamped their authority, or nothing more than tall tales. Likewise, differing stories abound about the ultimate fate of these fabled places. One points to a strangely colored cloud that descended from the heavens and engulfed the city (perhaps a Colour Out of Space). A second tells of a massive sandstorm that consumed the land and a third of a desolating wind that turned the once lush landscape to barren ash. Others speak of fiery rocks that fell from the

Weird Geometry Lovecraft’s stories make reference to geometry that mocks the laws of mathematics and architecture. Acute angles that act as obtuse ones (and vice versa), lines of symmetry that share impossible angles, straight lines that seem to lean when viewed from the corner of the eye, and parallel lines that both remain parallel and intersect simultaneously exist in many sites related to the Mythos. For the most part, these alone do not cause insanity. At best, they impose a Difficulty 2 Horror roll—enough to shake a strong mind, but break only one already weakened by horrendous sights or knowledge. More commonly, they heighten the mystery and strangeness of the area. Thus, they should give the site an otherwise mundane location an Eerie Atmosphere modifier. For instance, a Roman temple in which the columns stand upright when seen in full sight but lean when seen glances may warrant a –1 modifier. A site like R’lyeh, which exhibits overt weird geometry, might warrant as much as a –4 penalty.

skies that caused terrible explosions and left deep wounds in the earth, of the city sinking intact into the sands, and even a great flood washing across the city, scattering the masonry far and wide. Most share that claim that the doom was punishment for the inhabitants’ many sins. Whether any of the cities ever existed is open to debate. To doubt their existence in any form is to disregard history, for ancient caravan routes crisscross the entire region. Perhaps the legendary cities were nothing more than scattered trading posts abandoned when trade routes moved, when the waters dried up, or were swallowed by the relentless passage of mountainous dunes, and whose importance grew with each retelling. Perhaps they are nothing more than corrupted memories of the few desert wanderers who have witnessed the ruins of the Nameless City. It might well be that these stories relate

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Cthulhu Codicil to much older cities, such as doomed Sarnath, Kadatheron of the brick cylinders, and ransacked Ib, whose flabby-lipped denizens worshiped strange gods. Adventure Seed: The Leagues receive an anonymous donation of old photographs supposedly taken in the Empty Quarter. Among them are several showing ancient ruins. Do they really show a lost city, or are they fakes or mistakenly identified? There’s only one way to find out—an expedition!

Shrine of the Faceless Kami Location: Nagano Prefecture, Japan Eerie Atmosphere: –2 Dominated by mountains, landlocked Nagano Prefecture is only sparsely populated by Japanese standards. On the forested slopes of Mount Utsugi (9,396 ft.) stands a small mori, a Shinto shrine believed to be inhabited by a kami (spirit). The shrine takes the form of a derelict single wooden building known as a honden, a structure inhabited by the spirit. The inhabitants of the nearest villages, who call it Kao no nai kami no jinja (“Shrine of the Faceless Spirit”) avoid it and rarely speak of it, especially to outsiders. The shrine has had a sinister reputation as far back as the 17th century, when a missing samurai lord and his retainers were found butchered inside the shrine. Since then, dozens of others have vanished in the vicinity. The villagers’ ancestors said that the statue of the kami inside the shrine was a profane, gaunt thing, with a concave face devoid of facial features save for a ring of needle-like teeth, and long arms with fingers ending in wicked claws. In local folklore it is known as Mu-men no Kurau-mono (“The Eater With No Face”) after the flesh-picked bones littered around the statue. Although folklore says the slain samurai were out hunting game, they were soldiers sent to destroy the corrupted cult that worshipped at the shrine. The cult’s veneration was focused not on a true Shinto spirit, but an avatar of Nyarlathotep. What happened to the cultists is unknown—no other bodies were discovered at the site. Adventure Seed: A minor functionary at

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the Japanese embassy is arrested and charged with murder after being caught red-handed (actually, red-mouthed) at the site of a gruesome cannibalistic murder. He claims to have no memory of the event, despite being caught chewing his victim’s face. The ambassador asks the Leagues to investigate before his functionary is hanged for the crime. Soon after beginning their investigation, the globetrotters discover that the functionary purchased a jade statuette of a figure with a concave face in an antique shop shortly before the crime.

Shrine of the Little Yellow God Poem: The Green Eye of the Little Yellow God (J, Milton Hayes) Location: Nepal Eerie Atmosphere: –1 In a remote and shunned valley to the north of Kathmandu stands a little shrine. No records exist of who raised it or when, though some elders gaze knowingly toward the higher peaks of the Himalayas and whisper quietly of the dread Plateau of Leng and its less than human inhabitants. Nestled within the shrine is a blasphemous one-eyed idol. Not even the elders know what deity is represents and they encourage younger generations to leave the idol in peace, lest they awaken its vengeance. Although yellow in color, the idol is not manufactured from gold. The main body, being made of painted wood is utterly worthless save as a cultural curiosity. Its one eye is another matter, though, for it is a large emerald of exceptional purity and exquisite cut. The gem has been stolen many times down the ages, but has always been returned to its rightful place within a few months. In every case, perpetrators living within a few hundred miles have been found dead, a dagger thrust deep into their backs. Transgressors fleeing further afield are afforded no safety from vengeance. Indeed, their fate is worse, for in each and every case they have been found brutally mauled as if by some ferocious beast. Adventure Seed: Sir Milsom Roxby, a renowned collector of cultural art, has recently been sent a description and photograph of the

Where Darkness Dwells idol by an explorer friend. Desiring it for his collection, he hires the globetrotters to travel to Nepal and appropriate it for him.

The Tomb of Alhazred Location: Damascus Eerie Atmosphere: –1 What few records exist concerning the death of the mad poet Abdul Alhazred vary widely. The accepted story, as told by the 12th century chronicler Ibn Khallikan, says he met a grisly end in Damascus in 738, torn limb from limb by an invisible monster. Another version recalls the death as occurring in 731, while yet another suggests Alhazred staged his own death and lived on for many more years. Whether Alhazred was laid to rest in a tomb is thus highly disputed. In the narrow backstreets of the old city, where little has changed since Alhazred’s day, there are still a few elders who recall his name from knowledge passed down by their ancestors. Most fear his name, for word of his later writings trickled back to his homeland. Others nod slyly and hint that an original copy of Alhazred’s most (in)famous work, the Al-Azif, still exists somewhere else in the city, though they are ignorant of its location. Certainly there are bookshops that have stood for many centuries in which a curious browser may find a few torn, worm-riddled, and stained pages of that hated book. Those who accept the view that Alhazred had a tomb insist it must be located in or near to Damascus, for it was in this ancient city the poet resided during the accepted final years of his life. Many believers share the opinion that the version of the Al-Azif transcribed by Theodorus Philetas of Constantinople was an incomplete version, and that Alhazred was laid to rest with the only complete manuscript. Adventure Seed: A British official sends a globetrotter friend a small parcel. Inside is a fragment of a statue of the Phoenician deity Ba’al. The object, which has little historic interest or material value, is wrapped in a piece of ancient manuscript. The page is a badly stained (and mostly unreadable) previously unknown page from the Al-Azif. Where did the official acquire such a rare parchment?

Yemen Location: Southern Arabian Peninsula Eerie Atmosphere: 0 Ruler: Governors Potirikli Osman Nuri Pasha (1889-90), Botgoriceli Ismail Hakki Pasha (1890-91), Hasan Edip Pasha (1891), Ahmed Fevzi Pasha (1891-98), Huseyin Hilmi Pasha (1898-1902) Resistance Leader: Muhammad bin Yahya Hamid ad-Din (1890-1904) Yemen is an Ottoman vilayet (province) divided into four sanjaks (districts). A hotbed of strife and insurgency after 1891, the Ottoman Empire maintains its grip here only as a curb to British, French, and Italian expansion. Yemen’s position on the Arabian peninsula has made it a cultural and mercantile crossroads since antiquity. Believed to be the home of the Queen of Sheba, Yemen was a major producer of frankincense and myrrh, as well as chalcedony, cornelian, and onyx. Archaeological exploration of Yemen’s ancient ruins have unearthed around a hundred inscriptions. Through these, they have deduced that the earliest civilization, that of the Kingdom of Saba’, rose in the early 8th century BC. The great blocks of basalt found in clumps in the mountainous interior have largely been ignored, for the working of such hard stone, not to mention the ability to shift blocks weighing as much as 50 tons, is considered beyond the ken of the early civilizations. Likewise, little attention is paid to wild stories that the basalt blocks were once great cities raised by the jinn (better known as genies in the West) in times before man walked the earth.

- Temple of Awwam Location: Central Yemen Eerie Atmosphere: 0 (–1 at night) Located a few miles from the city of Ma’rib, ancient capital of the Kingdom of Saba’, stands a row of eight, square pillars. Few archaeologists know it exists, and none have yet excavated beneath the sand. Given that the Sabaeans are believed to be the earliest civilization in Yemen, archaeologists naturally assume it was raised by their priests. Local folklore says that the pillars were

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Cthulhu Codicil raised from the sand by a malevolent spirit or jinni when the world was young. Legends speak of a mukarrib (priest-king) who sacrificed here to Athtar and who “united the people and god” through a “pact and a secret treaty.” Athtar is something of an enigma. Despite being known across the Middle East, its gender and role changed from land to land. One might presume from the name that it was Azathoth, yet Athtar was primarily concerned with lifegiving rain and fertility, and the planet Venus. In the Mythos, Athtar might well be Azathoth, but it might also represent Cthulhu, Shub-Niggurath, or even an avatar of Nyarlathotep. Whatever cult held power at the temple and in the nearby city, it was considered profane enough for the Romans to send the prefect Gaius Aelius Gallus and 10,000 troops from Egypt toward Mar’ib in 25 BC. The historian and geographer Strabo (64 BC–24 AD), a friend of Gallus, placed the crushing defeat inflicted on the Romans on poor planning, the terrible heat, lack of water, a disease unknown to the Romans, and the treachery of a native guide. Yemeni folklore tells that the priests summoned an army of jinn against the invaders. Adventure Seed: Strabo was exploring Egypt in the months before the Roman invasion began. It is possible he discovered something of the dark cult there (Yemen is only a short boat journey down the Red Sea from Egypt) and passed word to his friend. As an aside, Strabo largely vanishes from historical records in 25 BC, only reappearing 42 years later.

Europe Cumbria Location: Northwest England Eerie Atmosphere: Varies Dominated by a central massif scoured into steep mountains and deep radial valleys by glaciation and dotted with numerous lakes, the land flattening only around the coast in the northern third, Cumbria (which was the separate counties of Cumberland, Furness, and Westmoorland until 1974) is one of raw, wild

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beauty marred by the scars of mining and heavy industry. In the mountains (also known as the Lake District and Lakelands) one finds both the highest point—Scafell Pike (3,209 feet)—and largest lake—Windermere—in England. While the interior remains mostly pastoral, the land is marred by gypsum, lead, and slate mines, not to mention several coalfields providing fuel for the factories belching out choking smoke as an army of workers produces iron and steel, ships, and armaments to satisfy the needs of the British Empire. Evidence of humans dates back as far as the Late Upper Paleolithic (c. 11,000 BC), a time when the glaciers of the last Ice Age were still in retreat. Undoubtedly these early people were hunter-gatherers, with the formation of permanent settlements, along with stone circles and henges, taking place in the Neolithic. It was at this time that the production of stone axe heads became a boom industry, with early traders carrying the weapons across the whole of Britain. Formerly governed by a patchwork of powerful Celtic tribes, Cumbria became a frontier realm under the Romans. Although the local tribes had been pacified, the northern barbarians remained a constant threat, forcing the Romans to build first forts and then incorporate the northern boundary into Hadrian’s Wall. While the Romans brought civilization and new religions, they failed to stamp out belief in the old ways, even after the destruction of the Druids. While the majority of people venerated the Roman cults, those in the wildlands continued to worship deities whose origins lay in the stars. When the Romans withdrew in 410, Cumbria became a battleground. With no central power, numerous warlords divided the land up between themselves, sometimes peacefully and other times violently. Over the coming centuries the land was settled, in part or whole, by the Angles, Norse Vikings, Strathcylde British, Scots, and Anglo-Saxons. The Normans slowly consolidated their hold over the region, bringing it under English central rule, but the area was always a troubled frontier. The remains of fortified manors priories, and abbeys litter the landscape, evidence of the violent struggles against the Scots and Border reivers.

Where Darkness Dwells Cumbria remains a frontier county, but today the only invasions are those of artists, poets, writers, and mountaineers.

Known to the Romans as Mediobogdum, the fort (sighted on a spur 800 feet above sea level) provided the garrison excellent views over the River Usk, as well as guarding the military road that wound through the mountains between the larger auxiliary forts at Galava (modern Ambleside) to the east and Glannoventa (modern Ravenglass) on the west coast. Historians believe the fort was constructed during the reign of Hadrian (r. 117-138) but abandoned a few decades later when the Romans briefly extended their empire northward. When the Antonine Wall was abandoned in 162, the legions retreated to their previous fortifications behind Hadrian’s Wall. What history does not record is that the soldiers garrisoned at the fort—a force of cavalrymen from the Dalmatian 4th Cohort—were also charged with harassing degenerate Carvetii hill tribesmen whose profane religious practices were proscribed under Roman law. Adventure Seed: A recently unearthed Roman tablet tells that the garrison at Mediobogdum had to be replaced due to “succumbing to the temptations of a great and dark spirit.” Naturally, various Leagues want to know more.

him and instruct him in the languages. It was during this time that villagers began to whisper of an unholy alliance with dark powers. He disappeared while in Egypt during the Fifth Crusade (1213-21). Sir Frederick de Lancy traveled to Toledo, Spain, in 1539 before venturing into the deserts of North Africa. It is said he consulted with genies, spoke to priests of strange gods, and visited accursed places old before the pyramids were raised in Egypt. Sir Nigel de Lancy was tried for witchcraft in 1646, though he escaped justice by means unknown. Although the family has retained its name and ancestral home, rarely has the title of baronet passed from father to son. In many instances, the head of the household has died childless, or disappeared without trace. Adventure Seed: Sir Walter de Lancy has recently inherited the manor from his uncle. Perusing the family library, he uncovered a journal largely written in an unknown cipher. The only sections written in English were references to “the threshold,” “the Key,” and “the Gate.” Since finding the book, Sir Walter has been troubled by strange occurrences—scratching at his door (he owns no pets) and in the walls, foul odors, and terrible nightmares in which rotting corpses seek to drag him through a stone arch decorated with twisting glyphs. Believing the house to be haunted, he approaches the Leagues of Adventure for assistance.

De Lancy Manor

Dunwich

Location: Central England Eerie Atmosphere: –1 Located on Black Hill, a high and wild part of the Peak District, the lonely manor sits on a small island surrounded by peat bog. Only a gravel causeway permits easy passage to the isolated building. The de Lancy family, whose ancestral seat this is, have never enjoyed a good reputation. Sir William de Lancy took part in the Fourth Crusade (1202-04) and the Sack of Constantinople. On his return, it was noted that he spent a great deal of time consulting a book plundered from the imperial library, calling on scholars fluent in archaic tongues to attend

Location: Eastern England Eerie Atmosphere: 0 Visitors are hard-pressed to imagine that the small village of Dunwich, situated on the exposed Suffolk coast, was once a port that rivalled London for prosperity. A center of power since the Anglo-Saxon era, the mariners who frequented the town during the 11th and 12th centuries came from as far away as Venice. While the ships brought exotic cargoes, the mariners carried with them strange religious beliefs learned from Arabs who had ventured far into the unknown east and sat at the feet of masters of eldritch wisdom. The citizens of Dunwich soon forsook their

- Hardknott Fort

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Cthulhu Codicil Christian heritage, adopting instead the eastern cult and its worship of aquatic beings who brought great wealth in return for sacrifices. By the early 13th century, the villagers had developed an odd appearance, with visitors speaking of bulging eyes, and flabby lips and necks that they found most unsettling. Dunwich’s prosperity did not last long. A storm surge in 1286 and two the following year destroyed much of the waterfront, sweeping away wharves and houses. Subsequent floods continued to erode both the town and the land upon which it sat. In 1826, Dunwich’s population was reduced to a mere 237 and the village described as a “decayed and disfranchised borough.” Despite the best attempts of the local bishop, who ordered the construction of a new church in 1832 following the loss of the last place of worship to the sea, the citizens cling to their strange customs. Adventure Seed: A vacationing biologist discovers a strange bone in the Dunwich museum. He telegrams various friends (one of whom is a globetrotter) with news of his find and urges them to visit him with all haste. The next day, the local newspaper reports the scientist was found drowned in the sea.

Malta’s Megalithic Temples Location: Malta Eerie Atmosphere: 0 Ruler: Governors Lieutenant-General Sir Henry Torrens (1888–1890), Lieutenant-General Sir Henry Smyth (1890–93), General Sir Athur Freemantle (1893–99), Lieutenant-General Lord Grenfell (1899–1903) Strategically situated in the central Mediterranean, the Maltese archipelago has been occupied by various economic and military superpowers for thousands of years. It is currently a British Crown colony. Scattered across Malta and Gozo, the two largest islands, are numerous ancient stone structures made from coralline limestone blocks. Believed to have been constructed as temples by Neolithic settlers starting around 5,000 BC, some were later built over by the Phoenicians, Romans, and early Christians. In Maltese lore, the buildings were said to have been erected by a race of giants.

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As has been the case elsewhere, the original structures are much older than suspected. Some 200 million years ago, the gigantic blocks formed part of an aquatic Elder Thing colony. As the Earth convulsed and buckled some 170 million years ago, the seabed was thrust upward to form the island chain. Severely damaged, the buildings were abandoned. Adventure Seed: Professor Jeremiah Watkins is of the opinion that other megalithic temples can be found beneath the waves, submerged by earth tremors. He approaches the Society of Aquanauts and Society of Antiquarians, both of whom are prepared to fund an expedition to explore his theory further.

Montes Serrorum Location: Transylvania Eerie Atmosphere: 0 Ammianus Marcellinus (325-391), a Roman soldier and historian, wrote much concerning the Gothic War of 367-369 fought against the barbarian tribes living north of the River Danube. One passage describes how the enemy were so afraid of the advancing Roman army that they fled to Montes Serrorum (“Mountain of the Serri”), denying the Romans the battle they craved. Marcellinus’ text was in fact a revision of the true account. On entering the region, the Roman commander, Emperor Valens, ruler of the Eastern Empire, announced his plans to rid the mountains of the troublesome Goths. With terror in their voices, natives allied to Rome warned the Emperor to avoid Mount Serrorum, for it was an accursed place, home to strange creatures (the Serri, or “buzzing ones”) who descended from the stars long ago to mine a certain stone. Ignoring the advice, perhaps under the illusion that the story was a myth created by the Goths to hide their main camp, Valens ordered three cohorts (approximately 800 men) to proceed up the forested slope. None returned. Further attempts to climb the peak were abandoned when the soldiers rebelled. Desperate to save face, Valens concocted the story that the Goths had fled before his legions and then swiftly returned to Constantinople. Modern Transylvanians still avoid the

Where Darkness Dwells mountain, though the reason why has long been forgotten. As far as they are concerned, it is simply somewhere people do not live. Adventure Seed: An antiquarian believes he has located the ruins of the Gothic camp on the lower slopes of Mount Serrorum. Naturally, he is keen to organize an expedition.

Northam House Location: Yorkshire, Great Britain Eerie Atmosphere: 0 Overlooking the wild and tempestuous North Sea is the drab, gray edifice that is Northam House, ancestral seat of the barons of Northam. Although the house has been rebuilt many times to suit new fashions and trends, the foundations are Roman and date from the late 1st century AD. Family lore claims the first building, a massive fortification if the foundations are any indicator, was erected by Lunaeus Gabinius Capito and survived several assaults by various “barbarians.” What the family has forgotten over the many generations is that the house stands atop the cave where they ancestor performed fell rites in the nameless of a hellish deity. None have worshipped in that forbidden space for countless generations, but the diabolical magic worked there in ages past has left an indelible mark on ancient foundations and thus the modern building above. Unusual for the home of a British aristocratic family, no ghosts haunt the corridors. That said, those with sensitive natures or empathic abilities are frequently troubled by disturbing dreams involving half-formed strange vistas and odd symbols. Adventure Seed: Preparing for one of his foreign trips, Lord Northam (see p. 112) invites a friend to sit his house in his absence. Northam’s friend is unavailable, but he in turn extends the offer to a globetrotter he knows. Naturally, the globetrotter or one his acquaintances begins suffering odd dreams in the house.

Somerset Location: Southwest England Eerie Atmosphere: 0, but varies by site Somerset is a rural county in the southwest

The Northam Family The Northams claim their ancestral line stretches back at least to a Roman military tribune—said to be Lunaeus Gabinius Capito of the Legion III Augusta—but they know nothing regarding their ancestor or the origins of the madness that strikes randomly down the generations. While stationed in Britain, Lunaeus discovered a community of pagans culturally and historically separate from the Britons whose ancestors claimed to have reached the green and pleasant shores following the sinking of their ancient home beneath the waves. In a dismal cavern beneath the cliffs, they honored strange and profane gods, into whose worship Lunaeus was inducted. Following the discovery of this abhorrent religion, the tribune was expelled from the legion. Following expulsion, Lunaeus raised a fortress above the cave— Northam House. Despite the revulsion toward Lunaeus, the Romans were unable to unseat him, for such was the strength of his home’s walls. Powerless as well were the Celts, Saxons, Danes, and Normans who came after. Respectability was conferred to the family only in 1373, when Richard Northam, a bold and brazen lieutenant of Edward the Black Prince (1330-74), was invested first Baron Northam by Edward III (1312-77). The story is true, save one for glaring error—the Legion III Augusta was never stationed in Britain. More likely suspects are the Legion II Augusta (which was stationed in South Wales) or the infamous Legion IX Hispania (based in York).

of England. Bordered by hills beginning in the north and circling around to the west, the northeastern region, known as the Levels, was once marsh, but has since been drained to form rich farmland. The county has been along associated with pagan beliefs and the occult. Glastonbury Tor, a prominent island when the Levels were still wetlands, has been equated with the Arthurian

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Cthulhu Codicil Isle of Avalon, suggested as the resting place of the Holy Grail, and associated with the Celtic Underworld. It is a ley line nexus, one reason why it might have been used in pagan religious practices since the dawn of humanity. Indeed, the entire county is dotted with hillforts, burial mounds, and stone circles, and folklore is replete with stories of witches. A little remembered piece of folklore relates how the pre-Celtic inhabitants were a savage people who regularly partook in cannibalism and who offered sacrifices to an aquatic deity recalled only as Lugh in corrupted Celtic mythology. Driven from their homes in the high lands, they settled in the marshes, where they subsequently made pacts with devils from the sea. Here they became known as the Seo-meresaetan, or “Settlers by the sea lakes.” Shunned by the later Iron Age tribes (the Dobunni in the north, Durotriges in the south, and the Dumnonii in the west), the marsh-dwellers remained mostly isolated and inbred until the Roman invasion. This is not to say the neighboring Celts did not have their dark side. Talk of gruesome ritual sacrifices, likely to have been honoring Shub-Niggurath, led to the slaughter of the inhabitants of Cadbury Castle (actually a hillfort). Roman civilization failed to eradicate the dark faiths still practised in the county, though it drove them into the shadows. Certain ceremonies were brought back by the Saxons, who sacrificed captives under the boughs of ancient trees or the stone circles raised by the ancients. The ancient Saxon practise of orchard wassailing is actually a heavily sanitized remnant of Shub-Niggurath worship, with blood now substituted with cider or ale.

- Bath Location: England Eerie Atmosphere: 0 Standing on a bend in the River Avon, the city of Bath’s natural thermal springs have been a site of wonder and recreation since around the 9th century BC. Legend claims their therapeutic powers were first noticed by King Bladud, whose leprosy was cured after he bathed in the hot waters.

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Bladud, it is said, was educated in Athens, where he studied necromancy., among other subjects. The legend states that he constructed a set of wings and attempted to fly to a temple of Apollo. Alas, he smashed into a wall and died—a strange end for a legendary king. It may be that Bladud’s attempt to fly was actually an ill-conceived attempt to open a gate to another dimension, for “the temple of Apollo” may refer to the heavens (Apollo being a solar deity). A settlement, Sulis, was founded soon afterward. Supposedly a Celtic goddess whose name stems from the ancient word for “vision” or “eye,” Sulis is actually a corrupted form of Cthulhu. Drinking the mineral-rich water opened imbibers’ minds to the dreams (visions) of Great Cthulhu. Evidence for this was unearthed in the 17th century, when the former Roman pediment was discovered during building work. Dominating the stone was a man’s head surrounded by tentacles. Antiquarians of the time insisted the image was that of a male gorgon (a rare thing), but the “serpents” growing from and surrounding the face are actually stylized tentacles or feelers. It was the Romans who truly placed the city on the map. Naming it Aquae Sulis (“The waters of Sulis”), they constructed a bathing complex and a temple in honor of the deity. Whether the Romans understood the true nature of the deity adopted into their pantheon is unknown, but their later depictions of Sulis as a female suggests not. It seems the creator of the pediment knew the truth. Visitors to the modern city should be aware that, contrary to appearance, the “Roman baths” are an early 19th century edifice. Even the statues of the emperors are modern reproductions. The end of Roman Britain saw Aquae Sulis rapidly decline. Little more than a village, the buildings decayed and city walls decayed without proper maintenance, and what remained was later used to construct new structures. Rebuilt by King Aflred, the city’s fortunes waxed and waned across the centuries. While its grand Abbey remains, its former mint was lost when the city once again became depopulated. Only in the 17th century were its fortunes revived, when its thermal springs were touted for their therapeutic properties. With a growing

Where Darkness Dwells number of visitors seeking to “take the waters,” the city grew in size and prosperity. Many grand buildings were raised in the Georgian period. Much of the Georgian splendor was the work of father and son architects John Wood, the Elder (1704-17540 and the Younger (172882). John Wood was already known for his surveying of the prehistoric stone circles of Stonehenge (33 miles southeast from Bath) and Stanton Drew (14 miles west). That the diameter of The Circus (originally King’s Circus), a circular streets of townhouses, matches that of the outer earth bank of Stonehenge is no coincidence. Likewise, there are 30 houses in the Circus and there were originally 30 stones in the largest circle at Stanton Drew. Additionally, there are two other stone circles at Stanton Drew—the North East Circle (of which eight stones remain) and the South West Circle) with 12 surviving stones). Breaks in the Circus for roads divide the houses into blocks of eight, ten, and 12 respectively. A brief glimpse at a city map reveals that the Circus and nearby Queen Square (both designed by John Wood, the Elder), which are linked by Gay Street, form the distinctive shape of a squared key. Together, the pattern of a circle and key surely represents Yog-Sothoth, whose form is a conglomeration of spheres and among whose title in the Key. A pyramidiontopped stone obelisk was erected in the dead center of Queen Square in 1738. It is a common fact in certain circles that Woods, the Elder was obsessed with Ancient British history, was a Freemason, wrote about sacred geometry and druidism, and held the view that the stone circles of Britain were pagan temples. Adventure Seed: Recent work in Bath Abbey has unearthed a single bronze coin stamped with a hoofed Devil and the motto Civitas Diaboli (“City of the Devil”). Widely dismissed as a forgery or prank, there are some scholars who suggest the coin indicates the citizens of Bath once worshipped the Black Goat of the Woods.

- Brent Knoll Location: Southwest England Eerie Atmosphere: 0

Cup & Ring Marks Found across much of the world, cup and ring marks are a form of prehistoric petroglyphic art. They take the form of a central circulation depression (the cup) surrounded by concentric circles (the rings). Most employ the exact same style, suggesting either a common spare of inspiration or worldwide dissemination of knowledge. There is some regional variation, however. Among the differences are a single line (known as a gutter) may cut from the central dot to the edge of the outermost circle, while in other cases there are multiple cups linked by straight lines rather than surrounded by rings. Suggestions to their purpose range from astronomical markings indicating the movement of the heavens (thus an early calendar), a form of writing yet an undecipherable, votive marks to appease the ancestors or gods, or the blueprints for large stone circles. It may yet prove that cup and ring marks are an early form of magical inscription, being an attempt by our Stone Age animistic ancestors to capture the image of the profane Yog-Sothoth.

Brent Knoll, an isolated limestone hill in North Somerset, rises 449 feet above the surrounding lowlands of the Somerset Levels and provides a commanding view of the Bristol Channel, which lies 2 miles to the west. Until the Middle Ages, when the expansive wetlands were drained, Brent Knoll was an island known locally as the Isle or Mount of Frogs. The word Brent, it is claimed, means “high place” in Celtic. Scholars have argued this refers to its elevation, though in fact it translates better as “important place.” Historians agree that the earth ramparts atop the summit are the remains of a Bronze Age fortification. Later, a Roman temple stood proud in the center of the hill-fort. The ramparts actually held a sacred enclosure. Here, the native Britons paid homage to Father Dagon and cavorted with Deep Ones who travelled here from the Bristol Channel.

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Cthulhu Codicil The Number Nine The number nine has appeared in various cultures’ mythology. Indian mythology speaks of nine planets; the Ancient Egyptian Ennead had nine deities; the Aztec and Mayan underworlds had nine levels, and the Norse divided the universe into nine worlds. All have one thing in common beside the number—other worlds, an area considered the dominion of YogSothoth. Priddy Nine Barrows and Robin Hood’s Butts (both in Somerset), and Nine Barrow Down (Dorset), among others, are patterns of nine circular structures, while stone circles such as Nine Stones Close (Derbyshire), the Devil’s Nine Stones (Dorset), and Nine Stones of Boskednan (Cornwall) are both circular in form and feature nine standing stones. Likely these sites were created people who knew of, and probably worshipped, Yog-Sothoth.

The site appears twice in Arthurian legend. First, Ider son of King Nuth, one of the king’s knights, defeated three giants who lived on the hill. Second, it has been suggested it is the site of Mount Badon, where Arthur defeated the Saxon invaders. Both actually relate to attacks made against the cultists and Deep Ones who practiced their fell rites on the summit. The hill and the two villages at its base— Brent Knoll (named after the hill) and East Brent—were later given over to the monks of Glastonbury Abbey. Despite the monks’ best attempts, Christianity remained nothing but a thin veneer, quickly cast aside following Glastonbury’s destruction during the Dissolution of the Monasteries. Today, those locals in whose blood flows that of the Deep Ones continue to use the hill as a place of worship. Adventure Seed: Parts of the summit of Brent Knoll are mined for limestone. During work, the quarrymen unearth part of a Roman mosaic. Experts have proclaimed the mosaic, which shows humanoid aquatic beasts, to be of great importance. Quarrying has been halted while various Leagues put together an expedition to unearth the remainder of the mosaic.

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- Solsbury Hill Location: Southwest England Eerie Atmosphere: 0 A mile or so north of Bath is Solsbury Hill. Believed to be an Iron Age hillfort, the site is far older. Its name means “fortified enclosure of Sulis,” and it was built by the savage tribe who worshipped Cthulhu at the hot springs below to protect them against their enemies. Historians have long believed the hill was the site of the Battle of Badon, in which King Arthur defeated the marauding Saxons.

Vineta Location: Baltic Sea Coast Eerie Atmosphere: 0 Historians place no veracity in the existence of Vineta, a city that supposedly stood on the southern coastline of the Baltic Sea before it sank beneath the waves. Nor do they accept the claims that the city’s destruction was the wrath of God, brought down upon its inhabitants due to their blasphemous ways. The first written record of the city dates back to 965. Visited by Ibrahim ibn Yaqub, an Hispano-Arab merchant, he names it as Weltaba (“The place among the waves”). Educated in Toledo, a city long renowned for its occult scholars, ibn Yaqub wrote that Vineta’s fortunes came from dealings with “their brethren from the waves.” Historians have taken this to mean maritime trade, for what other explanation could their be? Likewise, the phrase “the people did cavort with those from the waves and seek to live with their kin” has been accepted as meaning the Vinetans, perhaps finding the location of their city less than desirable and their population declining, sought to relocate to a more idyllic place. It is certainly true that by 1190 the city is never mentioned again and appears on no later maps. Adventure Seed: The discovery of a 13th century map seemingly displaying the location of Vineta has the Leagues excited. While the Leagues debate whether the map is a fake or genuine, certain interested parties intend to ensure any expedition meets with failure.

Where Darkness Dwells Wales

- Anglesey

Wales is a country that has embraced modernity and clings to its ancient pagan heritage in equal measure. Wales’ rich mineral wealth was exploited as far back as the Romans, who mined for copper, gold, and lead. With the rise of the Industrial Revolution, Wales’ natural resources were once again in demand, with copper smelting in the south, slate quarrying in the north, and iron smelting in both. It is coal, the fuel that powered the Industrial Revolution and the expansion of the Empire, that the country is best known, however. Flooded with workers seeking regular work in the mines, the south has become an industrial powerhouse, the sides of the steep valleys dotted with soot-coated villages whose inhabitants toil to extract the rich seams of coal. Here, science has replaced superstition as the modern world tightens its hold. In the hinterlands, acceptance of technological progress has been slow. Isolated by geography, many villages have yet to be connected to the railway and telegraph systems, and even the mail service is sporadic. Here the old ways remain fertile, with tales of strange creatures and gods long forgotten elsewhere still told around the hearth. These stories tell of the Adar Llwch Gwin, birds that understand the speech of men and may be related to the Shantaks of the Dreamlands; the diminutive race that haunts the central mountains and speaks only in a strange buzzing; horned beings that cavort in the dark woods when the moon is fat; the entities that are neither men nor fish, but some hideous crossbreed that wade ashore from the storm-wracked sea to partake in rituals as old as time itself; and of Morfran, black-skinned and hideous, who appears to witches to honor dread pacts. It is here, in the drab hamlets and villages that time and progress has passed by, that the name of Shub-Niggurath is still spoken in revered tones, rites have been passed down for generations, and blood sacrifices (sometimes human) are offered to prevent the failure of harvests.

Location: North Wales Eerie Atmosphere: Varies from 0 to –2, depending on the specific site Human occupation of Anglesey, a large island off Wales’ northwest coast, stretches back into the mists of prehistory. Known to the native Welsh as Ynys Môn, its name was first written as Mona by the invading Romans. For reasons that shall become readily apparent, it is also known as Ynys Dywyll (“Dark Isle”). Evidence points to the primitive peoples of the Stone Age being followers of the Great Old Ones. Bryn Celli Ddu (“The mound in the dark grove”) was constructed around 3000 BC. A site of worship, it comprised a henge (a bank and ditch) and an interior stone circle. At its heart stood a single pillar—the focal point of worship. Supposedly engraved with a serpentine design, the image was actually a crude portrayal of Azathoth. A millennium after its construction, the old religion was swept aside. The standing stones were smashed and the altar stone concealed inside a chambered mound. The Great Old Ones were still honored, but it was Shub-Niggurath who now ruled. Over the next two millennia the cult underwent a dramatic change. Not only did it spread to become the dominant religion in Britain and Gaul, it evolved into the sect history records as the druids. It would take a global superpower to stymie its growth and curb is fell activities. The main intention of the Roman invasion of Britain was to expand the Empire, thus securing new natural resources and slaves. Having conquered the Gauls a century earlier, the Romans had already witnessed the horrific truth behind druidism. Anglesey was the seat of European druidism and the continued existence of the druids was an affront to all that was decent. Thus, Anglesey had to be cleansed of the infestation. Fanatical adherents of the cult were prepared to stand against the invaders, as recorded later by Tacitus: “In the style of Furies, in robes of deathly black and with dishevelled hair, they brandished their torches; while a circle of Druids, lifting their hands to heaven and

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Cthulhu Codicil Sacred Groves of Shub-Niggurath Although describing a site in southern France, the ancient historian Lucan’s (3965 AD) graphic recollection of a nemeton, or sacred grove, applies more so to those of Anglesey, the heart of the druidic sect following the conquest of Gaul. “No bird nested in the nemeton, nor did any animal lurk nearby; the leaves constantly shivered though no breeze stirred. Altars stood in its midst, and the images of the gods. Every tree was stained with sacrificial blood. The very earth groaned, dead yews revived; unconsumed trees were surrounded with flame, and huge serpents twined round the oaks. The people feared to approach the grove, and even the priest would not walk there at midday or midnight lest he should then meet its divine guardian.” Whether or not the historical description is accurate reporting or blatant propaganda intended to show the destruction of the druidic sects as a necessary act is irrelevant in Leagues of Cthulhu—in this setting it is not only fact, but serves as a fitting description for many outdoor temples to Shub-Niggurath. Witnessing a site having the basic description of strange altars, trees smeared with blood, and trees entwined by giant serpents (probably carved images rather than actual beasts) is enough to warrant a Difficulty 2 Horror roll. As for the “divine guardian,” the Gamemaster has multiple choices. It may be a satyr-like Spawn of Shub-Niggurath, stationed in the grove to safeguard the site. Alternately, it may be a Dimensional Shambler, Night-gaunt, or Shoggoth permanently bound to service by the will of the Black Goat. Alternatively, it may be a unique (and suitably horrific) guardian spawned from the Gamemaster’s imagination.

showering imprecations, struck the troops with such an awe at the extraordinary spectacle that, as though their limbs were paralysed,

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they exposed their bodies to wounds without an attempt at movement.” It would take the legions another year to achieve their aim, and countless cultists were put to the sword, but they were eventually successful. The power of the druids over the people was ultimately shattered forever, but the old faith was not swiftly forgotten. Today, there are small cults across Anglesey, all offering worship to Shub-Niggurath and her Thousand Young. Adventure Seed: The Reverend Samuel Skinner, the great nephew of the Reverend John Skinner (1771-1839), a noted amateur antiquarian, has stumbled across his greatuncle’s manuscript for Ten Days’ Tour Through the Isle of Anglesea, a volume penned in 1802 but never published. The text describes Skinner’s visit to numerous archaeological sites, including Bryn Celli Ddu. Suspecting the trip to Anglesey had something to do with the elder Skinner’s later suicide (he shot himself), Samuel hires the globetrotters to repeat his relative’s tour and search for evidence.

- Carmarthen Location: West Wales Eerie Atmosphere: 0 The town of Carmarthen (“Fort of Merlin”) owes its origins to the Romans. An auxiliary fortress was constructed here in 75 AD to watch over the River Towy’s estuary some eight miles to the south. Before that date, the only place of occupation was a hill fort, or moridunon (“sea fortress”) in the Celtic Brittonic language. By 125 AD the fort had been dismantled and the existing vicus was expanded to become the civitas town of Moridunum (“Sea Fort”), the capital of the local Demetae tribe. Of the Demetae, on whose lands the original fort was erected, Roman chroniclers wrote that they were friendly to the Romans, but their leaders and priests possessed strange looks, having wide lips, staring eyes, and wattled necks. Folklore claims the descendants of the aristocrats were gods, who rose from the sea to breed with land dwellers, so establishing the lordly and religious lines.

Where Darkness Dwells The people worshiped a sea god, Llyr Llediaith (“Half-speech”), whom the Romans subsumed into the cult of Neptune. Images of fish and octopi were soon added into mosaics, as well as the uniforms of the Roman auxiliaries stationed there. A local legend states that the Demetae king wore a torc of green stone as a sign of his position and ancestry. Furthermore, the temple treasury was filled with a fortune in pearls. When the Roman legions withdrew from Britain, the priests buried the treasure to protect it from the growing numbers of bandits. The favored site of the hoard is Bryn Myrddin (“Merlin’s Hill”), the site of the old fortress and from where the modern town takes its name. Carmarthen’s association with Merlin dates to the 12th century. Depending on who one asks, Merlin was either born in the hill fort or walked out of a cave near the site. Adventure Seed: After convincing his globetrotting friends to watch a practical example of divining, the character’s friend offers them a chance to take part in a treasure hunt for the “pearls of Moridunum.”

- Coal Mines Location: Wales Eerie Atmosphere: 0 The black rock that fuels the British Empire is abundant beneath the Welsh landscape. Where humans once picked up coal from surface outcroppings, men have since burrowed beneath the earth in search of it in ever greater quantities. Coal miners are a superstitious lot, and not without cause—cave-ins and explosions, while not daily occurrences, are constant hazards. Yet there are other things that cause miners to shudder involuntarily and gaze longingly back toward the distant elevator that is their only way out of the stygian darkness. What of the strange striated marks revealed in exposed coal faces or the green, star-shaped stones pocked with groups of circular indentations that miners quickly smash? What of the strange sounds of some sluggish thing hauling its ungainly mass that miners speak of only in hushed tones with their comrades? What of the

miners who stray from the path and are never seen again, or who are found gibbering about formless darkness? Adventure Seed: The Paleontological Society is abuzz after being presented with the partial skull of an early hominid. What has divided the members is the claim that it was uncovered in a coal seam in South Wales, in rock that was laid down over 325 million years ago.

- The Desert of Wales Location: Central Wales Eerie Atmosphere: 0 Wales has no desert, at least not in the conventional geographical sense. Coined by an Englishman, the terms refers to a large, untamed, sparsely inhabited area of central Wales. A dreary landscape of rolling hills covered in peat and steep valleys swathed by oak, there are few footpaths or trails, let alone anything a globetrotter might consider a road. What little man-made light exists by night comes from solitary oil lamps spilling out from tumbledown cottages in small hamlets or solitary farmhouses. Strangers are seldom welcome by the odd inhabitants, not that most globetrotters hope to converse with the locals, for here English is a foreign tongue. Much of the Desert lies within the Cambrian Mountains, an upland that stretches down the spine of the country. No craggy peaks or towering spires break the horizon, for the mountains have been worn down by the ages. The mountains are popular with geologists and paleontologists, for in the north can be found sedimentary and volcanic rocks from the Cambrian (named for the range) and Ordovician ages, while in the south one finds Devonian sandstone and Carboniferous Limestone. Adventure Seed: An amateur geologist has presented the Leagues with a section of rock uncovered in the Cambrian Mountains. Its surface is marked by a triangular striated depression, about one foot in diameter. The Paleontological Society believes the mark may be a fossil of an unidentified species, while the Prospectors’ Club claims it is a natural phenomenon. As is often the case when the

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Cthulhu Codicil Leagues dispute facts, only an expedition can resolve the matter.

- Gateholm Location: Southwest Wales Eerie Atmosphere: 0 Located just around the coast from St. Bride’s Bay, the small, flat-topped tidal island of Gateholm is a natural fortress, being accessible only at low tide and even then requiring a hard climb. Its name is first recorded in 1480 as Goteholme, Old Norse for “Goat Island.” Conventional wisdom says the name stems from the fact that farmers grazed their livestock here to safeguard them from predators and thieves. Untold millions of historic events, some large and some small, have been forgotten or were never recorded at all. The fate of a Roman attack on the Celtic inhabitants of Goat Island is one such event. History suggests the Romans made no attempts to conquer the Demetae tribe, whose lands were located in the southwest of Wales. The accepted view is that the tribe quickly made peace with the invaders. It is true the Romans did get on well with the Demetae and never saw the need to pacify their lands, but there were elements on the western coastal fringes who stubbornly held to their old beliefs and rejected all attempts to “civilize” them. The nearest Roman settlement to Goat Island was the auxiliary fort at Moridunum (see Carmarthen above), 40 miles distant, and which effectively marked the edge of the Roman Empire in that part of the world during the late 1st century. Accepting a request for the friendly Demetae for aid against barbaric elements worshiping foul gods, the camp tribune despatched 2,000 auxiliaries against the inhabitants of Goat Island. Of the handful of men who returned from the expedition, only one would speak of what befell his comrades. He spoke of a village in which stood a statue of a horned goat, its surface stained black with the blood of untold sacrifices, of mountains of skulls and simple turf huts wrapped in sheets of human skin, and of terrible creatures that were mockeries

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of men. In order that word should not spread and demoralize the other men in the fort, the commander had the survivors executed for “abandoning their comrades in battle.” Adventure Seed: It is not unusual for people digging in their gardens in certain parts of the British Isles to unearth Roman artifacts. The discovery of a wax tablet in a Carmathen garden (the modern site of Moridunum) has several Leagues hurrying to fund an expedition. The tablet, written by camp commander Prefect Mettius Petronius Siculus, states only that a force of men were sent against “renegade Demetae barbarians” who lived on the “island of a hundred huts.” With no previous record of any military action against the Demetae, certain Leagues are set on following the likely route the soldiers took and finding the location of any previously unknown temporary forts or battlefields.

- St. Brides Bay Location: West Wales Eerie Atmosphere: 0 A rocky inlet on the southwest coast, St. Bride’s Bay (Welsh: Bae Sain Ffraid) stretches from Ramsey Island in the north to Skomer Island in the south. The sheer-sided sandstone cliffs that make up much of the bay are riddled with sea caves, many of which connect to form a multi-level labyrinth. Local folklore claims the tunnels extend not only across the open bay, but also far beneath the sea. Nestled along the central wild and windswept coast are a handful of villages whose hardy inhabitants hew coal or farm the turbulent sea for a living. The bulbous-eyed, wattle-necked scions of the oldest fishing families have long hoisted their nets over the side of their boats while singing songs whose origins predate the advent of Christianity. Located a short distance inland is the small hamlet of Druidston, named for the inscribed menhir that stands at a bubbling spring. Earlier antiquarians labeled the stone the Druid Stone, believing that the spirals, five-pointed branches, and clusters of circular indentations were carved by the enigmatic druids. Whoever carved the images, the stone has

Where Darkness Dwells been a focal point for the locals, who shed blood and cavort in wild frenzy in honor of Shub-Niggurath in the manner of their renegade Demetae ancestors. Adventure Seed: The village of Pysgod Haven (“Fish Haven”), located at the south of the bay, is a popular seaside resort with bathers. A friend of one of the globetrotters sends them a telegram in which he claims he has witnessed a “sea monster” in the bay. On their arrival, the globetrotter discovers not only is their friend missing, but no one claims to remember him. Something is definitely fishy!

- St. Dogfan’s Abbey Location: Wales Eerie Atmosphere: 0 Celtic legend speaks of a 5th century king by the name of Brychan Brycheiniog. Married three times to “maidens from the sea”—possibly an allusion to their being foreign, since he also appears in Breton, Cornish, and Irish traditions—he sired somewhere between a dozen and 60 children, depending on the source. St. Dogfan was one of his many sons. Dogfan’s name (also spelled as Dogwan and Doewon, among other variant spellings) appears in various later chronologies. The stories concerning his life are thus considered religious folklore rather than historical record. He supposedly lived in the region of St. Bride’s Bay, where the miracle of causing fish to leap into fishermen’s nets is attributed to him. Although a member of the Celtic church, Dogfan’s sermons were said to revolve around the sea. Among his beliefs were that the Savior would arise from the sea at the time of the Second Coming, along with his Host. The Chronicle of Welsh Saints, a 9th century manuscript, lists him as the founder of a coastal abbey but provides no other details. The saint was martyred and the abbey razed to the ground by Saxon raiders. The historical Dogfan was actually a priest of Dagon. His death came not at the hands of marauding barbarians but by servants of the Catholic Church. It is thus a great irony that an enemy of the Church became adopted as one of their saints due to a corruption of memory.

Adventure Seed: Arthur Doogan, a noted folklorist, firmly believes he is a descendant of St. Dogfan’s sister, Hyddren. A man of comfortable wealth, he seeks help in locating and excavating the saint’s abbey in an attempt to prove the legends true.

White Island Church Location: Ireland Eerie Atmosphere: 0 Lough Erne boasts over 150 islands. Throughout history, they have served as refuges in times of strife and religious centers. On the shoreline of White Island stand the crumbling remains of a small monastery. When it was constructed and to which saint it was consecrated is not recorded in the many annals of Irish history, though vague hints suggest the monks who lived there performed rituals not proscribed by the Church and spent long hours swimming in the cold waters and blowing trumpets whose sonorous notes carried far on the wind. Scattered across the site, though long lain flat, are carved stone pillars. The few antiquarians who have visited the island claim the images represent monks. If this is true, then there is a family likeness, for all have thin lips and bulging eyes. Of the monastery, the Annals of Ulster, which cover history from 431 to 1540 AD, tell only that the Vikings, “been of weakened heart at the sight of the monastery,” sacked the monastery and either put the occupants to the sword or carried them away into slavery in 837. Historians have taken this to mean that the invaders could not resist the opportunity to plunder the building of its precious objects. During the late 17th century, the island was briefing occupied by an unknown religious sect. The eight inhabitants, all women, were tried for witchcraft and sentenced to death in 1703. Local folklore recalls that the witches were first thrown into the lake to drown, but “through the power of the Devil were able to breathe the water as if air.” All met their final doom at the end of a noose. Adventure Seed: Fear has gripped the inhabitants of the villages close to White Island. The disappearance of fishermen and the

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Cthulhu Codicil sight of flickering lights near the abandoned monastery at night have led some to believe the witches’ ghosts have returned to wreak vengeance on the living.

Windrush Farm Location: Central southern England Eerie Atmosphere: 0 The chalk plateau of Salisbury Plain is littered with stone circles, henges, and barrows. Who created them is a mystery. Antiquarians argue that it was the druids or Romans, while local folklore speaks of a race of men or “little people” who existed long before the advent of even time-worn Egypt. Neither time nor man has been kind to these monuments of a bygone age. Driven by superstition that they were the work of the Devil or the need for building material, many standing stones have been toppled, buried, or smashed. Windrush Farm, located five miles from the small village of Millbury and the remnants of its stone circle, was constructed from the remnants of standing stones in the early 18th century. Evidence of this is clearly seen in the size of the stones, which bear curious markings. The farm was never profitable, the crops planted in its vicinity growing poorly despite the fertile soil. Local gossip tells that the last owner was attacked and killed by a mob in 1734 after a spate of disappearances and sighting of “winged, black devils” and “fiery imps” near the farm. Parish records are extremely vague on the matter, saying only that the farmer was lynched for “crimes unknown.” Adventure Seed: An astronomer known to a globetrotter contacts his friend. In his letter he tells of how he has retired to the country, having manage to secure an old farm for a very reasonable price. He very much looks forward to the globetrotter coming to visit. No matter how soon the globetrotter takes up the offer, the friend has vanished. His disappearance coincides with the appearance of a comet with a period of 11,000 years—making it last seen by human eyes at the end of the last Ice Age, when Atlantis sank beneath the waves.

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Ocean Floor K’naa Mythos Tale: Out of the Aeons (H. P. Lovecraft and Hazel Heald) Eerie Atmosphere: –1 It matters not whether it was the works of Charles Étienne Brasseur de Bourbourg (1814-1874) or Augustus Le Plongeon (18261908) that brought the existence of Mu, a lost continent, to the public imagination, or that scientists dismiss their findings. That Mu existed, was inhabited by humans possessed of an advanced culture, and was subsequently submerged beneath the Pacific Ocean by catastrophe is historical fact. While certain modern works, most notably von Juntz’s horrific Von Unaussprechlichen Kulten, make passing reference to it, word of Mu has been passed down through eldritch lore and ancient cults for millennia. K’naa was a kingdom or province of that great continent. It flourished during the late Pleistocene, in an age when savage hominids ruled elsewhere. These elder humans were not the first race to live here, for K’naa was dotted with ruins that predated their arrival by millions of years. Of these ruins, the greatest was a fortress of Cyclopean stones perched on the basalt heights of Mount Yaddith-Gho. Although the original craftsmen, the alien Fungi from Yuggoth, had long since departed Mu, they left behind a profane monstrosity—Ghatanothoa—in the sunless crypts beneath the mighty fortress. Mu is now lost beneath the ocean, the continent have cracked apart with titanic force as waves higher than mountains pummeled it and lightning rent the land. As evidenced by the tale of Captain Weatherbee (see Cabot Museum of Archaeology in Leagues of Cthulhu), though, K’naa has periodically surfaced from the briny depths. Woe to those who dare to brave the colossal barnacle-encrusted, slime-covered, and weed-draped ruins, though, for Ghatanothoa the Eternal still haunts those dread crypts. Adventure Seed: Instead of using the Cabot

Where Darkness Dwells Museum adventure seed as written, that seed can it itself become a seed for a new adventure. The Cabot Museum’s intended expedition fell at the first hurdle, when the expedition leader was found brutally murdered (exsanguinated) the day before the ship set sail. The Museum is offering a reward for solving the murder.

Other Worlds Algol Location: Milky Way Horror Rating: 8 Known to astronomers since the days of the Ancient Egyptians, the name of this celestial object comes from the Arabic ra’s al-ghul, and is usually translated as the “Demon Star.” Hebrew folklore records it as Rosh ha Satan (“Satan’s Head”). It has widely been considered an unfortunate star, associated with bloody violence and death by decapitation. Despite appearances, Algol is not actually a star (actually a binary star). Rather, it is a monstrous, demonic intelligence composed entirely of energy. It is worshipped by the Celestial Order of Algol, a small but fanatical cult that offers human sacrifice when the “star” is visible in the northern sky.

Kynath Location: Beyond the orbit of Yuggoth Eerie Atmosphere: –4 Beyond the reach of even the most advanced telescopes, beyond even the orbit of far-flung Yuggoth, lies Kynath. Save for the eerie piping of the wind and the gentle lapping of its fluid metal sea on the barren, rocky shores, Kynath is a silent world. Once, it served as a colony for the Fungi from Yuggoth, yet even those inhuman miners dared not delve too deep in search of riches. What they unleashed has been struck from their race memory, such was its abhorrence. All they recall is that to venture to Kynath is to invite certain death, for whatever profane being they unearthed still haunts the planet—and it is hungry.

1890s Comets Comets have long been seen as bringers of misfortune and destruction. For the Gamemaster, these passing balls of ice and dust (a fact not yet known in the 1890s) are a handy tool, for as “roving stars” they might bring the stars into the right patterns to aid the Great Old Ones and their minions. The dates below are for perihelion—the comet’s closest approach to the sun. The period shows the number of years that will pass before the comet’s next appearance.

Long-Period Comets These celestial objects have an orbital period between 200 and 1000 years. Name

Date

Return

Gale

13 Apr 94

2852

Perrine

17 Mar 98

2317

Near-parabolic Comets Comets in this class have longer periods between appearances. With a little fudging, the Gamemaster can tie some of these to historical events. For instance, Comet Zona’s previous appearance was roughly as the end of the last Ice Age, when Atlantis supposedly sank and work began on the temple at Göbekli Tepe. Comet Brooks was (possibly) in the sky when the volcanic island Thera exploded, causing devastation across the Eastern Mediterranean. The first Venus figurines are carved some 42,000 years ago, corresponding with Comet RordameQuénisset’s visit. Name

Date

Period

Denning

25 Sep 90

61,030

Zona

7 Aug 91

11,040

Swift

7 Apr 92

23,020

RordameQuénisset

7 Jul 93

44,150

Brooks

19 Sep 93

3,520

Chase

20 Sep 98

315,460

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Cthulhu Codicil Kythamil Location: Milky Way Eerie Atmosphere: –4 The remnants of a double planet circling the bright star Arcturus in the constellation of Boötes. What fate befell it is unknown, but it occurred after the plastic, formless Black Spawn migrated through the heavens to worship at the feet of Tsathoggua in N’kai.

Mars Location: Solar System Eerie Atmosphere: –2 Thanks to the work of Percival Lowell, maps of Mars have been available to view since 1894. While his fellow astronomers are skeptical of Lowell’s claims that Mars supports intelligent life the public considers this an exciting development. Only a few humans know for sure that Mars is inhabited by intelligent, hostile beings. While astronomers have seen the Martian canals during their observations, and more than a few agree with Lowell that the planet has vegetation and water, not even the most ardent scholar suspects that the dark patches on the surface are, in fact, sprawling cities of basalt that date from long before the rising of the current Martian race. In eons past, the alien Flying Polyps made their home on Mars, raising those black cities of cyclopean blocks. At some distant point, they were defeated by the ancestors of the Martians, themselves possibly interlopers from a remote star. Their cities were abandoned, the survivors descending deep into the earth or fleeing Mars for a new life on its neighbor, Earth.

Neptune Location: Solar System Eerie Atmosphere: –1 Even with the most powerful telescopes yet known to science, Neptune is little more than a faint, blue orb. With a keen eye, one might be able to see clouds scudding across the sky. Given its color, the first suggested name after its discovery in 1846 was Oceanus.

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The streaking clouds, however, are not water vapor, but colonies of hellish, white fungi. Possessed of only rudimentary intelligence, they float across the immense ocean, grasping anything foolish enough to cross their path with crude pseudopods and absorbing it into their bloated, pulsating mass.

Yaddith Mythos Tale: Through the Gates of the Silver Key (H. P. Lovecraft and E. Hoffmann Price) Location: Distant galaxy Eerie Atmosphere: –2 Far from the insignificant mote of cosmic dust that is Earth, in a distant galaxy that was old long before the ember that was the Sun first spewed forth light, lies the planet Yaddith and the five suns around which it revolves. Intelligent life has existed here for eons in the form of wrinkled, partially-scaled insect-like beings whose arms end in terrible claws and whose faces are given odd form by a bulbous snout. As befits their near-timeless origins, the Yaddithians possess an understanding of science many magnitudes above that of humanity. Through the use of metallic light-beam envelopes they have travelled far across the universe, though such is the distance from their home-world that they have not yet encountered the Milky Way, let alone Earth. In their labyrinthine, metal-walled cities stand dozens of vast libraries, a testament to the accumulated lore they have gathered across 28 galaxies and 10,000 worlds, some of which no longer harbor life. Despite their advanced science, the natives exist in a perilous state, for Yaddith is riddled with tunnels bored by the greatly feared Bholes (see The Dreamlands: Realm of Morpheus for details). Where science has failed, the Yaddithians have had to revert to arcane measures to keep the Bholes in their nightmarish subterranean realm. Prophecies foretell that the Bholes will destroy Yaddith, but until that day dawns the natives continue to utter the potent spells of warding and submission while seeking a ritual that will destroy the Bholes forever.

Chapter Four: Gods, Monsters, and Cultists “There are horrors beyond life’s edge that we do not suspect, and once in a while man’s evil prying calls them just within our range.” —H. P. Lovecraft, The Thing on the Doorstep

Lesser Gods Aelologgtho Horror Rating: 2 Born at the dawn of the universe, the green flame Aelologgtho is a living entity, albeit one that possesses no mind as humans could comprehend. Not even those wise in the elder lore know its origin or nature, but it is certainly not a Great Old One, for they are fortunately few in number. Nebulous in form, and often accompanied by the blasphemous Courtiers of Azathoth, it might be one of the Daemon Sultan’s avatars, a spawn of some unholy birthing of that most eldritch god, or perhaps related in some way to the mysterious Fire Mist that men know of only through its fiery offspring. The entity has no capacity for speech, and aside from accepting sacrifices, appears to have no interest in mankind. Those foolish enough to step into its flame are never seen again, though whether they are incinerated or transported to another dimension is unknown. It is mentioned only once in eldritch lore,

within the little-known book called The Festival. Written in 1823, it is supposedly a true story of rites performed by witches in Kingsport, Massachusetts. The text, written in the form of a narrative, speaks of a “belching column of sick greenish flame.” Oddly, the tome also describes a cavern, a dark lake, and weird fungus. If this is true, then perhaps Aelologgtho can not only be summoned to distant shores, but can overlay his lair on top of existing reality. Of course, it is possible the author heard of the ancient rite from some long forgotten means and merely transplanted it to a different land in his writing. Associated Rituals: Call Aelologgtho, Commune Aelologgtho

The Fire Mist Horror Rating: 6 Whether or not mankind’s distant ancestors ever worshipped fire shall never be known. It is certainly true that fire was venerated in more recent times, as evidenced by Zoroastrianism. What few scholars realize is that the various fire religions are descended from an older and darker faith. In times long past, a vast idiotic entity known as the Fire Mist swept through the Solar System on its unending journey through the universe. Descending from its nebulous mass, a number of its offspring found their way to earth, where they encountered the inhabitants of now-lost Lemuria. To those prepared

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Cthulhu Codicil to accept them, they taught much elder lore before retreating once more into the heavens. As its name suggest, the Fire Mist is a nebulous maelstrom of fire. Rarely is it summoned to Earth, for its mere presence is enough to set fire to vegetation and inflict hideous burns on animals within a 50 foot radius. In game terms, anyone within the Fire Mist’s proximity suffers 4L caustic fire damage per combat round. Associated Rituals: Call Fire Mist, Commune Fire Mist, Summon Child of the Fire Mist

Horrors Beast of K’n-yan Known to the inhabitants of K’n-yan as gyaa-yothn, the Beasts are used as mounts by the ruling class and beasts of burden by the slave class. Their forelegs end in rudimentary fingers, enabling them to carry objects while walking in a lumbering bipedal stance. The “hands” are too chubby for fine work. Primarily quadrupedal, they have enormous flabby bodies with black fur on their backs and a short, horn-like growth protruding from their foreheads. Carnivorous, they feast on the special slave-class reared for meat in K’n-yan. They are not natural creatures, but are the descendants of animals found roaming free in red-litten Yoth. These were later crossbred with humanoid slaves from K’n-yan. Behind the flat noses and bulging lips, their faces have elements that are all too human in nature. Reaction to Summoning: Beasts of K’nyan can be summoned only when within that subterranean realm. Beasts are good only for riding, pulling heavy loads, or carrying goods. These tasks they perform without reticence.

Beast of K’n-Yan Follower 1 Archetype: Animal; Motivation: Survival; Style: 1 Primary Attributes: Body 5, Dexterity 2,

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Strength 5, Charisma 0, Intelligence 0, Willpower 2 Secondary Attributes: Size 1, Move 7 (14)*, Perception 4, Initiative 2, Defense 6, Stun 5, Health 8, Horror 3 Skills: Athletics 6, Brawl 6, Stealth 4**, Survival 5 Talents: Alertness (+2 Perception rating) Resources: — Flaws: Bestial (Cannot speak or use tools) Weapons: Bite 0N * Double their Move when running. ** Beasts of K’n-yan have a –1 Size penalty to Stealth rolls. Easy Gait: Beasts have a clumsy though even gait, making them especially easy to ride even without a saddle. A rider gains +2 to Ride rolls when mounted on one.

Child of the Fire Mist Children of the Fire Mist are balls of living fire some 8” across. They are highly intelligent entities, though their ability to communicate with humans is extremely limited. In order to impart their wisdom, they must first enter a host’s body. Once this is done, they flash mental images into their host’s mind. Despite their fiery nature, possession causes the host no injury, though their faces glow with an unearthly radiance. (It is for this reason many fire cultists wear face veils.) The Children also have a malicious side. Once inside a host, they can emit heat so fierce it causes the victim to spontaneously combust. Despite the intensity of the heat, surrounding materials are rarely more than lightly singed by proximity to the blazing body. Reaction to Summoning: Children of the Fire Mist are capable of understanding human speech, though they cannot converse save through possession. Unless a magician quickly states the service the Child is to perform, it attempts to possess them. Children of the Fire Mist are prepared to serve as tutors or assassins.

Child of the Fire Mist Ally 1

Gods, Monsters, & Cultists Archetype: Alien Academic; Motivation: Survival; Style: 1 Primary Attributes: Body 1, Dexterity 4, Strength 0, Charisma 0, Intelligence 4, Willpower 3 Secondary Attributes: Size –4, Move 0 (Fly 8), Perception 7, Initiative 8, Defense 9, Stun 1, Health 2, Horror 2 Skills: Elder Lore 8, Empathy 8, Stealth 10* Talents: Robust (+2 Health rating) Resources: — Flaws: Alien (Cannot speak or use tools) Weapons: Special (see below) * Children of the Fire Mist have a +4 Size bonus to Stealth rolls, but only in well lit areas. In areas of darkness, they have no bonus. Alien Form: Children of the Fire Mist are totally immune to physical weapons, blessed or mundane. Their only weakness is water, which is anathema to their existence. Each squirt from a soda siphon inflicts 1L caustic damage, while a bucket of water or sand causes 1L caustic area effect damage. Possession: To enter a host, a Child of the Fire Mist merely need touch it. Against an unwilling target, this requires a touch attack, with the entity using its Dexterity x 2 opposed by the Active Defense of its intended victim. - Elder Lore: A globetrotter who accepts possession by a Child of the Fire Mist can spend general Experience points to boost his Elder Lore Skill. This can be done only while the entity is present. - Spontaneous Combustion: Instead of imparting wisdom to a host, the Child can generate tremendous heat. This inflicts 3L damage each combat turn and is a caustic area of effect attack. Radiate Heat: A Child can increase the air temperature around it to levels hot enough to burn flesh and ignite inanimate objects. Any object within 5 feet of the Child takes 1L damage. This is a caustic area of effect attack.

Child of Yig Yig, Father of Snakes, has been known to bless worshippers by impregnating their womenfolk with his abominable seed. He has also

undertaken this act as a means of punishing transgressors. In all cases, the resulting child has many of their father’s features. Most exhibit common traits—utterly hairless bodies, flattened facial features, and small, unblinking black eyes. Other traits include scaly skin and enlarged canine teeth. Many Children of Yig cannot speak, but instead produce a hissing more commonly associated with snakes. Children sent as a curse are rarely loved by their parents. Those not killed at birth (an act sure to raise Yig’s ire to new heights) may be sold to freak shows or incarcerated in asylums for the remainder of their days. Reaction to Summoning: Sired by a god they might be, but Children of Yig are counted as human and cannot be summoned with magic.

Child of Yig Ally 1 Archetype: Unholy Hybrid; Motivation: Survival; Style: 1 Primary Attributes: Body 2, Dexterity 2, Strength 2, Charisma 2, Intelligence 2, Willpower 2 Secondary Attributes: Size 0, Move 4, Perception 4 (8), Initiative 4, Defense 4, Stun 2, Health 4, Horror 2 Skills: Athletics 4, Brawl 4, Intimidation 4, Stealth 4, Survival 4 Talents: Keen Sense (+4 smell-based Perception rating) Resources: — Flaws: Disfigured (–2 penalty on all rolls where appearance is a factor) Weapons: Punch 4N Blood of Yig: Children of Yig receive a +2 bonus to Casting rolls when invoking Call Yig, Commune Yig, and Summon Serpent Man.

Courtier of Azathoth The court of the Dread Sultan is as chaotic as the idiotic blind god that sits on the throne. Around his seat of power swirl amorphous dancers, while musicians produce a cacophony using whistles, pipes, and drums. Possessed

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Cthulhu Codicil of fluid form, these blasphemous courtiers are best described as being something akin to a frog, octopus, and jellyfish all at once. The standard tunes played by these repulsive entities is alien to human ears, but not especially harmful. They can, however, switch to tunes capable of placing mortals in a light trance, fixing them to the spot in terror, and even driving listeners insane. Reaction to Summoning: Courtiers exist for only one purpose—to make music pleasing to the alien senses of their deranged master. Fortunately for mortals, the alien musicians are prepared to alter their tunes to attract the notice of specific beings.

Courtier of Azathoth Follower 3* Archetype: Alien Artist; Motivation: Survival; Style: 0 Primary Attributes: Body 4, Dexterity 2, Strength 3, Charisma (4)**, Intelligence 2, Willpower 3 Secondary Attributes: Size 0, Move 5, Perception 5, Initiative 4, Defense 6, Stun 4, Health 7, Horror 5 Skills: Athletics 8, Brawl 8, Intimidation 9, Performance 9 Talents: Captivate (Can temporarily entrance opponents), Fearsome (Can temporarily frighten opponents), Skilled Assistant (Provides a +4 Teamwork bonus; see below) Resources: — Rituals: Courtiers know all Summon rituals Flaws: Alien (Cannot speak or use tools other than their instruments) Weapons: Tentacle slap 8N * Courtiers of Azathoth are treated as Follower 1 for the purpose of the Summon Courtier of Azathoth ritual. ** Charisma is used only to determine the Courtier’s Intimidation & Performance ratings. Alien Form: The alien nature of a Courtier renders it immune to non-magical weapons. Rituals inflict injury as normal, as can acid, electricity, and fire. Music of Azathoth: Each Courtier present grants a magician a +2 Teamwork bonus when casting any Call, Commune, or Summon ritual.

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Tune of Terror: Courtiers can produce tunes so discordant they can shred the minds of mortals. This functions as the Fear ritual, except the Courtier uses Performance as its Casting roll.

Denizen of the Nameless City Deep within the bowels of the Nameless City, in sarcophagi of wood and glass, lie the last of its builders. Whether they are dead or merely in torpor is as yet unknown, for no explorer has walked the echoing halls. It may be they exist in a state in between life for death, for the mad Arab Abdul Alhazred wrote of the Nameless City, “That is not dead which can eternal lie, And with strange aeons even death may die.” No book save the Necronomicon speaks of the Denizens, and even then it is only in cryptic verse. Thus, the origins of this unnamed race remain a mystery. They may, like other races, have descended from the stars. On the other hand, it is entirely possible they originated on earth, a precursor to humanity. Regardless, they are relatively small quadrupeds, measuring around five feet in length. They are distinctly reptilian, though their forelimbs are reminiscent of human hands. Their heads are their most hideous aspect, having a pronounced forehead, horns, no nose, and jaws not unlike an alligator. That they are intelligent is evidenced not only by the grand city they erected on a shoreline now consumed by desert sands, but by the clothes and jewelry with which they were interred. Although learned in architecture, and once possessing mercantile skills sound enough to make their city a trading hub, there is no evidence the Denizens developed anything more than rudimentary technology. Save for disease and injury, the Denizens of the Nameless City are nearly immortal. Their lives are measured in millennia, and death can be staved off indefinitely by entering a state not unlike hibernation. Reaction to Summoning: Given they are unknown to the outer world, the Summon

Denizen of the Nameless City ritual should be extremely rare. If the Gamemaster desires, the race could merely be slumbering, so casting the ritual could awaken a small number. Given the remote location of their lair, they are most unlikely to bother venturing out in search of whoever disturbed their sleep (which is fortunate for the magician).

Denizen of the Nameless City Ally 2 Archetype: Alien; Motivation: Survival; Style: 1 Primary Attributes: Body 3, Dexterity 2, Strength 4, Charisma 2, Intelligence 2, Willpower 2 Secondary Attributes: Size 0, Move 6, Perception 4, Initiative 4, Defense 5 (7)*, Stun 4, Health 7, Horror 3 Skills: Academics: History 5, Athletics 5, Brawl 5, Diplomacy 4, Empathy 4, Intimidation 5, Stealth 5 Talents: Iron Jaw (+1 Stun rating), Robust (+2 Health rating) Resources: — Flaws: Primitive (–2 penalty on any Skill roll related to modern technology) Weapons: Punch 5N, Bite 5L * Scaly skin gives a +2 Passive Defense bonus.

Reaction to Summoning: Feasters are perpetually hungry. A magician who provides a summoned creature with a human sacrifice can earn its cooperation for a short period. Typically, Feasters agree to perform only a single task—to feast on living creatures.

Feaster from the Stars Follower 2 Archetype: Alien; Motivation: Survival; Style: 1 Primary Attributes: Body 4, Dexterity 3, Strength 5, Charisma 1, Intelligence 1, Willpower 3 Secondary Attributes: Size 1, Move 8, Perception 4, Initiative 6, Defense 6, Stun 4, Health 10, Horror — (4 if seen) Skills: Athletics 10, Brawl 10, Stealth 6*

Feaster from the Stars Whether Feasters from the Stars live in the cold expanse of outer space or on some distant world orbiting a nameless sun is unknown, for while they can understand human speech, they cannot converse in return. The appearance of these mysterious beings is known to only a small few sorcerers, the creatures being naturally invisible to human eyes. The descriptions that exist are vague, speaking of them only in terms of rending claws, grasping tentacles, crunching beaks, and pulsating sacs with the appearance of human brains. Among those versed in elder lore, it is widely agreed that a Feaster from the Stars was responsible for the death of Abdul Alhazred, author of the Al-Azif.

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Cthulhu Codicil Talents: Quick Reflexes (+2 Initiative rating), Robust (+2 Health rating) Resources: — Flaws: Alien (Cannot speak or use tools) Weapons: Grapple 10, Bite 11L, Crush 10N Invisibility: Feasters are naturally invisible. Unless under the effects of a Voorish Sign or Powder of Ibn Ghazi, rolls to detect and then attack them are subject to a –8 penalty. Rend: A Feaster’s preferred method of attack is to grapple an opponent and then, on subsequent rounds, tear its victim apart using its several beaks. * Have a –1 Size penalty to Stealth rolls.

The Hound Woe to those foolish enough to steal one of the repulsive jade amulets worn by the canni-

bal cult of forbidden Leng (see p. 166), for they are protected by a terrible curse. When summoned by the theft of an amulet, the Hound’s only reaction is to hunt down and slaughter the perpetrator, and return the amulet to its rightful owner. The presence of the Hound is first heard as a spectral baying on the night wind. Initially the sound is faint, as if originating a great distance away. Slowly but surely the volume increases as the Hound draws ever nearer its doomed target. The Hound takes the form of an enormous black dog with batlike wings protruding from its back. It is a relentless hunter and has no concept of mercy. Once it reaches its prey it attacks without warning, rapidly reducing them to a quivering mass of cracked bones and strips of bleeding flesh. Reaction to Summoning: No Summon Hound ritual exists. It cannot be bargained or reasoned with.

The Hound Follower 2 Archetype: Alien; Motivation: Preservation; Style: 1 Primary Attributes: Body 3, Dexterity 3, Strength 5, Charisma 0, Intelligence 1, Willpower 3 Secondary Attributes: Size 0, Move 8 (Fly 16)*, Perception 4, Initiative 4, Defense 6, Stun 3, Health 6, Horror 4 Skills: Brawl 10, Stealth 8, Survival 6 Talents: Flurry 2 (Can attack same opponent twice at no penalty) Resources: — Flaws: Bestial (Cannot speak or use tools) Weapons: Bite 11L, Claw 11L * Creatures with four or more legs double their Move rating when running. Alien Form: The Hound is immune to all physical damage, including blessed weapons. Other rituals inflict damage as normal. Relentless Hunter: Slaying the Hound provides only temporary reprieve. The next sunset, it returns to the hunt fully healed. The only way to escape the hunt is to return the stolen amulet to its rightful owner.

Gods, Monsters, & Cultists Serpent Man Within the mold-stained pages of certain books of elder lore is mentioned Valusia, a lost continent that existed before the rise of the dinosaurs. This ancient land, it is said, was ruled by a race of Serpent Men. Cruel and cunning, wise in the ways of alchemy and magic, they could not prevent the destruction of their ancestral homeland and the collapse of their mighty empire. Here the elder lore varies. One tale speaks of how the Serpent Men sought refuge in Yoth, where they constructed a new city. This attempt at creating a new civilization was brought low by Yig, for his once-devout servants had turned to the worship of foul Tsathoggua. The account ends with the Serpent Men fleeing Yoth for sanctuary beneath Mount Voormithadret, which stood on doomed Hyperborea. Other stories have the Serpent Men scattering to the dense jungles of what is now India and Indochina. Here they were worshipped by primitive humans, who gave the Serpent Men the title “naga.” Mankind eventually rose up to overthrow the abominations, forcing them to find refuge in deep caves, where, so legend insists, they remain to this day. Serpent Men appear to be a blasphemous hybrid of serpent and human—upright, ophidian, and having two arms and legs. Their fingers and toes are tipped with sharp talons and long fangs extend from their upper jaw. Their sense of smell is so acute it allows them to deduce human emotions by means of pheromones. They prefer to cover their forms in heavy, hooded robes. Reaction to Summoning: A Serpent Man is most likely to answer a summons in disguise. Treated with respect, Serpent Men are happy to share their knowledge of alchemy and magic with humans. The deal must be a like-for-like transaction, though, for Serpent Men are keen to increase their knowledge.

Strength 3, Charisma 1 (2)*, Intelligence 3, Willpower 3 Secondary Attributes: Size 0, Move 5, Perception 6 (10), Initiative 5, Defense 5 (6)**, Stun 3, Health 6, Horror 3 Skills: Academics: History 5, Brawl 5, Diplomacy 3 (4), Elder Lore 4, Empathy 6, Investigation 4, Linguistics 4, Science: Chemistry 5, Stealth 5 Talents: Keen Sense (+4 scent-based Perception rating), Skill Aptitude (+2 Empathy rating) Resources: — Rituals: Serpent Men know at least four rituals of the Gamemaster’s choosing Flaws: Animal Antipathy (–2 penalty on any roll relating to animals) Weapons: Bite 6L, Claw 6L * When disguised as a human, Serpent Men have Charisma 2 for the purposes of social interaction only. Changes to Skills are indicated in parentheses. ** Scales grant it +1 Passive Defense. Disguise: All Serpent Men know a ritual that shrouds them in the illusory form of an ordinary-looking human. The ritual remains in effect for one day per success on the Casting roll, but can be dropped, revealing the creature’s true form, as a free action. Hypnotize: By staring into an opponent’s eyes, a Serpent Man can place them in a light trance. This functions as the Captivate Talent, except the Serpent Man uses its Willpower x 2 in place of Performance. Venom: After a successful bite attack, a Serpent Man injects venom into its victim. A poisoned character makes a Body roll against a Toxin rating of 3. If the character fails this roll, he takes one point of nonlethal damage for each point by which he failed the roll. Warrior Caste: Not all Serpent Men are scholars. A member of the warrior caste drops Investigation and Linguistics in favor of Melee 5. It is armed with a scimitar (3L).

Serpent Man

Star-Spark (Swarm)

Ally 2 Archetype: Alien; Motivation: Survival; Style: 1 Primary Attributes: Body 3, Dexterity 3,

Star-Sparks (the only name by which they are recorded) inhabit the void between the stars. Individually, they are minute creatures,

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Cthulhu Codicil no larger than a flea and incapable of harming other creatures. Star-Sparks rarely travel alone, though, but instead clump together in swarms measuring several feet across. When present on earth, the glowing cloud they form is often referred to by observers as ball-lightning. An individual Star-Spark has a dim-intellect, but together they form a hive mind with greatly heightened intelligence. The hive is capable of high-pitched, buzzing speech. Star-Sparks summoned to earth are unable to depart back to their airless realm until they have built-up sufficient energy. This they do through electrocuting victims and draining their life force. Once they have inflicted a total of 10L damage, they disappear in a tremendous thunderclap and brilliant flash. Reaction to Summoning: Star-Sparks seek only to return to the expansive heavens. A sorcerer of sufficient persuasiveness or intimidating voice can convince the swarm to attack a target of his choosing. Failure to convince them quickly sees them turn on the summoner.

Star-Spark (Swarm) Follower 1 Archetype: Monster; Motivation: Survival; Style: 0 Primary Attributes: Body 0, Dexterity 5, Strength 0, Charisma 0, Intelligence 2, Willpower 5 Secondary Attributes: Size 0, Move 5 (Fly 10), Perception 7, Initiative 7, Defense 5, Stun N/A, Health 13*, Horror 3 Skills: Brawl 10 Talents: Finesse Attack (Uses Dexterity with Brawl) Resources: None Flaws: Bestial (Can’t speak or use tools) Weapons: Electrical discharge 3L caustic * Immune to nonlethal damage and cannot be stunned. Alien Form: Star-Sparks are totally immune to physical weapons, blessed or mundane. Their only weakness is damaging area-effect rituals. Electric Shock: Star-Sparks attack using a touch attack that delivers a powerful electrical shock. Targets may use only their Active

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Defense to avoid this. A Star-Spark delivers 3L caustic damage with a successful attack.

Tcho-Tcho Indigenous to Indo-China, the Tcho-Tcho are an abominable race. Once human, centuries of inbreeding and participation in cannibalistic rites have caused them to become degenerate savages. The Tcho-Tcho have long worshipped the Great Old Ones, with particular homage paid to Yig and Shub-Niggurath. Formerly found only in Burma, they were first encountered by Europeans in the early 19th century, though talk of their wickedness was already commonplace from interaction with friendlier tribes. The first Westerners to record any information about the Tcho-Tcho was an expedition sponsored by the British East India Company. Disgusted at the contents of their first-hand report, the Company, in the guise of preventing Burmese expansion, launched a series of wars intended to eradicate the Tcho-Tcho. Many of the vile cannibals were slaughtered, but far more melted away into the dense jungle. Little remains of their former civilization save one or two ruined cities. Constructed in ages past, before the Tcho-Tcho fell to degeneracy, their walls were smashed and their snake-headed idols toppled by the British. Reaction to Summoning: Tcho-Tcho cannot be summoned through rituals.

Tcho-Tcho Tribesman Follower 1 Archetype: Cultist; Motivation: Survival; Style: 0 Primary Attributes: Body 3, Dexterity 2, Strength 3, Charisma 1, Intelligence 1, Willpower 2 Secondary Attributes: Size 0, Move 5, Perception 3, Initiative 3, Defense 5, Stun 3, Health 7, Horror 1 Skills: Archery 4, Athletics 4, Brawl 4, Melee 4, Stealth 4, Survival 4 Talents: Robust (+2 Health rating) Resources: None

Gods, Monsters, & Cultists Flaws: Primitive (–2 penalty on any Skill roll related to modern technology; +1 Style point whenever their primitive nature hampers them or causes trouble) Weapons: Punch 4N, Bow 6L, Hand axe 6L

Tcho-Tcho Priest Follower 2 Archetype: Cultist; Motivation: Faith; Style: 0 Primary Attributes: Body 3, Dexterity 2, Strength 3, Charisma 2, Intelligence 2, Willpower 3 Secondary Attributes: Size 0, Move 5, Perception 5, Initiative 4, Defense 5, Stun 3, Health 6, Horror 1 Skills: Athletic 4, Brawl 4, Elder Lore: Creatures 4, Elder Lore: Great Old Ones 4, Elder Lore: Locations 4, Intimidation 6, Stealth 4, Survival 4 Talents: Fearsome (Can temporarily frighten opponents) Resources: Status 1 (Tcho-Tcho priest; +2 Social bonus) Rituals: Call Yig, Commune Shub-Niggurath, Commune Yig, Summon Spawn of Yig, Summon Spawn of Shub-Niggurath Flaws: Primitive (–2 penalty on any Skill roll related to modern technology; +1 Style point whenever their primitive nature hampers them or causes trouble) Weapons: Punch 4N, Bow 7L, Hand axe 7L

The Unnamable Leering over the old burial ground in Arkham, where the moldering remains of the great and good rest side-by-side with those whose lives amounted to nothing more than a brief flicker of hope, is a deserted house erected in the 17th century. No one has entered the house since it was abandoned. Its last owner was an elderly, embittered man. Tales passed down through Arkham’s superstitious generations tell of things seen at the windows, and of injuries of horns, hooves, and paws inflicted on unfortunates who chose to ride past the house at night. Before the man died, he erected a blank

slab in the graveyard, though none knew to what purpose. Stranger still, the old man was buried in the crypt of his house, having first placed a sturdy padlock on the attic door. That the house was now deserted did not stop talk of noises emanating from that lofty chamber. The last person to venture near the building was a young lad, a curious souls whose insistence of peering through the attic window was rewarded with insanity. That something haunted the house was evident, but no accurate description was ever formed. In some tales, it was possessed of horns and hooves, perhaps akin to the Devil whose witch-cult once terrorized Arkham. Others spoke of it as gelatinous, with ever-changing forms. Reaction to Summoning: The fiend cannot be invoked using the Summon (Horror) ritual.

The Unnamable Follower 3 Archetype: Monster; Motivation: Survival; Style: 2 Primary Attributes: Body 5, Dexterity 3, Strength 5, Charisma 1, Intelligence 2, Willpower 3 Secondary Attributes: Size 0, Move 7, Perception 5, Initiative 4, Defense 7, Stun 5, Health 10, Horror 5 Skills: Athletics 10, Brawl 10, Intimidation 6, Stealth 7 Talents: Flurry 2 (May attack same opponent twice at no penalty), Robust (+2 Health rating) Resources: None Flaws: Bestial (Can’t speak or use tools) Weapons: Claws 11L, Hooves 10N, Horns 11L

Mundane Beasts Penguin, Giant Albino Standing between seven and eight feet tall, these grotesque birds are the largest of all penguin breeds. Descended over millions of years from the elder penguins who once inhabited Antarctica, and found only in the eons-old,

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Cthulhu Codicil frost-encrusted ruins of the Elder Thing’s abandoned and night-cloaked city, they are completely blind and suffer from albinism. Reaction to Summoning: As mundane, albeit highly unusual, animals, giant albino penguins cannot be summoned through the Summon Horror ritual. The Summon Beast ritual affects them as normal.

Penguin, Giant Albino Follower 1 Archetype: Animal; Motivation: Survival; Style: 1 Primary Attributes: Body 4, Dexterity 2, Strength 3, Charisma 0, Intelligence 0, Willpower 2 Secondary Attributes: Size 1, Move 5 (Swim 10), Perception 2 (6), Initiative 2, Defense 5, Stun 5, Health 7, Horror 2 Skills: Brawl 6, Stealth 4*, Survival 4 Talents: Keen Sense (+4 hearing-based Perception rolls) Resources: — Flaws: Bestial (Cannot speak or use tools), Blind (Automatically fails any roll requiring sight) Weapons: Peck 6L * Giant albino penguins suffer a –1 Size penalty on Stealth rolls.

Cults Arkham Witch-Cult When people speak of witch-haunted Arkham, they are not being poetic or fanciful. Since at least the early days of the 17th century, a coven of witches has gathered to practice their fell arts and give praise to the Black Man, an avatar of Nyarlathotep. Initiates into the aged witch-cult are required to stand before the Black Man and sign their name in blood in the book of Azathoth. They then receive a secret name, one to be used only among those who worship the Great Old Ones. Under cover of darkness, they chant praise to Azathoth and Shub-Niggurath, practice

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dread rites passed down from elder times, dance wildly around blazing bonfires to insane piping, and offer sacrifices of black cockerels, black goats, and human children. Where once they worshipped on an island in the Miskatonic River, the cult now meets in a dark ravine beyond Meadow Hill, where stands a curious white stone about which no vegetation grows. The numbers three and 13 are important in witchcraft. The Arkham cult has three ranks, each comprising 13 members. At the top are the masters, wise in the ways of the outer gods and their profane ceremonies. Keziah Mason is the acknowledged head of the cult, though she attends rituals only on the most important nights of the year. Each master has one acolyte, a discipline eager to learn the eldritch lore and, one day, take his place among his superiors. Each acolyte in turn has an initiate, one who has yet to sign his name in the book of Azathoth and receive their secret name.

Typical Member Contrary to what some residents of Arkham believe, the members of the witch-cult are not degenerates living in the town’s dark and dank back alleys. They are men and women of good standing—bank clerks, businessmen, doctors, store owners, and teachers. All share one trait—a lust for forbidden knowledge, and with it power. Ally 1 Archetype: Cultist; Motivation: Power/Truth; Style: 0 Primary Attributes: Body 2, Dexterity 2, Strength 2, Charisma 2, Intelligence 2, Willpower 3 Secondary Attributes: Size 0, Move 4, Perception 5, Initiative 4, Defense 4, Stun 2, Health 5, Horror — Skills*: Academics: Occult 4, Brawl 4, Elder Lore: Great Old Ones 4, Melee 4 Talents: Iron Will (+1 Willpower rating) Resources: Rank 0 (Arkham Witch-Cult; +1 Social bonus) Rituals: Commune Shub-Niggurath, Fear Flaws: Fanatical (+1 Style point whenever their devotion causes harm or they convert someone else to their way of thinking) Weapons: Punch 4N, Dagger 5L

Gods, Monsters, & Cultists * Each member has two Skill point left unassigned. The Gamemaster should assign these to based on the cultist’s normal occupation.

The Black Scorpion Brotherhood Babylonian stories of scorpion men are based not on fanciful imagination, but on one of Nyarlathotep’s many unholy avatars. In this instance, it is the body of a monstrous scorpion with the upper body of a man. The monstrosity is covered in black chitin and has a large barbed tail. The cult’s origins actually lie in prehistoric Egypt. Founded in predynastic Upper Egypt in during the rule of a king known to modern Egyptologists as Scorpion I, the cult maintained a low profile for a century, insidiously widening its influence and gathering its strength. During the reign of Scorpion II (c. 3150 BC) it finally emerged from the shadows to become the dominant religion. Its reign of terror was short-lived. Disgusted at the abhorrent rituals undertaken by the insane priests, Narmer, a king of Lower Egypt declared open war. Following a series of brutal engagements, the feared cult was driven underground. Narmer unified Egypt and became its first pharaoh. Fear of the Black Scorpion never waned, as evidenced by the influence of the goddess Serket, healer of scorpion stings. Although its headquarters still lies in Egypt (in a secret valley near the necropolis of Umm El Ga’ab), the cult now stretches across the globe. Wherever there are scorpions, the cult has a presence. As an aside, anthropologists have long known that female scorpion deities are always benevolent, offering protection against stings. That their temples and cults were founded to combat an evil male scorpion cult is theorized only by anthropologists regarded as crackpots by their peers. The Brotherhood (which accepts women) has no real unity and no long-term goals. Members are encouraged to engage in their wildest desires and perversions. Debased

orgies take place under the watchful gaze of the Black Scorpion between late October and November, when the sun is in the constellation of Scorpio. Human sacrifices are offered to the Black Scorpion at this time. Snatching them up in his pincers, he crushes the life out of the offerings and pierces their flesh before sucking out their juices. All initiates must undergo the “sting of the black scorpion.” This involves being stung on the right forearm by one of the black scorpions found in every cult temple. In those found worthy, the venom causes a black mark in the shape of a capital “Y” overlaid with a capital “L” to rapidly develop. This stylized scorpion is the cult’s symbol. Those found unworthy die in agonizing pain within a few moments. Historical Note: Narmer’s destruction of Scorpion II’s temples and statues, not to mention scouring his name from official records, was so thorough that his existence remains unknown to Egyptologists until 1898, when a macehead bearing his name is unearthed in Hierakonpolis by James E. Quibell (1867-1935) and Frederick W. Green (1869-1949).

Minerva Clarke Scorpions aren’t native to Great Britain, but London is a melting pot of cultures, with immigrants settling there from across the Empire. Little surprise then that the Brotherhood of the Black Scorpion has a small cell in the heart of the city’s overcrowded East End. Minerva Clarke is a prostitute. Although forced into the trade through poverty, the attractive young woman actually enjoys her job. Possessed of perverse sexual desires, her work allows her to live out her darkest dreams in the flesh. One of her clients, a wealthy businessman with unconventional sexual needs, saw the darkness within Minerva and offered her initiation into the Brotherhood. Recently her lusts have taken a much darker turn. At the moment of sexual climax, Minerva uses a ring concealing a small needle to prick her johns’ exposed flesh. While she bucks and writhes in unbridled sadistic pleasure, the fast-acting venom claims the life of her convulsing victim.

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Resources: Rank 1 (Brotherhood of the Black Scorpion; +2 Social bonus) Rituals: Commune Nyarlathotep (Black Scorpion avatar), Control Animal (scorpions only), Elder Sign, Fear, Harm, Summon Black Winged One Flaws: Sadism (+1 Style point whenever she is needlessly cruel to her friends or enemies) Weapons: Punch 4N, Poison needle (see below) Poison Needle: Pricking a victim causes no damage. The venom has a Toxin rating of 4. A total of 15 successes on a Body x 2 roll are required to negate the poison, with each roll taking one combat turn. Until the venom is neutralized, the victim suffers 2L caustic damage each combat turn. The ring holds only one dose. Minerva carries a small silver vial holding four additional doses of the potent venom.

Typical Member

Patron 2 Archetype: Everyman; Motivation: Faith; Style: 2 Primary Attributes: Body 3, Dexterity 2, Strength 3, Charisma 3 (4), Intelligence 3, Willpower 4 Secondary Attributes: Size 0, Move 5, Perception 7, Initiative 5, Defense 5, Stun 3, Health 7, Horror — Skills: Athletics 4, Brawl 4, Con 6 (Seduction 7), Elder Lore: Artifacts 4, Empathy 5, Linguistics 4, Melee 6, Spying 5, Stealth 5, Streetwise 5 (Carousing 6) Talents: Attractive (+1 Charisma when dealing with people), High Pain Tolerance (Remains conscious and ignores wounds penalties until –3 Health), Poison Tolerance (+2 bonus to Body rolls relating to poisons and drugs)

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Given that perversity is not limited to any particular culture, class, occupation, or gender, there is no such thing as a typical member. The lower tiers are primarily filled with members of the lower class, though. In return for access to drugs, money, and sex, they act as the Brotherhood’s muscle. The example below is a petty thug, of which London boasts many thousands of examples. Ally 1 Archetype: Everyman; Motivation: Greed; Style: 0 Primary Attributes: Body 2, Dexterity 2, Strength 2, Charisma 2, Intelligence 2, Willpower 2 Secondary Attributes: Size 0, Move 4, Perception 4, Initiative 4, Defense 4, Stun 2, Health 4, Horror — Skills: Athletics 4, Brawl 4, Intimidation 4, Larceny 4, Melee 4 Talents: — Resources: Contacts 1 (Criminals; +2 bonus), Rank 0 (Brotherhood of the Black Scorpion; +1 Social bonus) Flaws: Belligerent (+1 Style point whenever their aggressive attitude causes trouble) Weapons: Punch 4N, Club 5N, Dagger 5L

Gods, Monsters, & Cultists The Black Triad After conquering Mecca and destroying the many pagan idols standing in the city, the Prophet Mohammed sent out expeditions to destroy other centers of pagan worship. Among the many targets was the temple of the goddess al-Uzza at Nakhla, whose shrine took the form of three trees. Having hacked down the first tree as ordered, General Khalid ibn al-Walid (585-642) returned to Mohammed to report his victory. On learning that Khalid had seen nothing else, the Prophet sent him back to destroy the second tree. Returning victorious, Khalid once again reported that nothing else transpired. Sent back to the temple a third time, Khalid this time encountered a naked black priestess, her hair wild and knotted, her teeth filed to sharp points. Of the 30 men who accompanied Khalid, nine were slain by the wild Ethiopian priestess before she was cut in twain. The third tree was then cut down. Hearing his general’s story, Mohammed nodded sagely and declared that the goddess had finally been slain. During the same month as Khalid’s raids, Said bin Zaid Al-Ashhali was sent to pacify other tribes and smash their idols. Here too, one of the shrines was protected by a vicious, naked Ethiopian priestess. Mohammed and his generals had no way of knowing that the Ethiopian women were members of related sacred cults. The pagan Arabs knew them as a sibling triad. Highest of the three was al-Uzza, whose names included The Mighty One and Grandmother. As noted above, her shrines were three trees. Allat, also known as The Goddess or Black Mother, had shrines in the form of single standing stones. Last was Manat, the Black Child, to whom sacrifices were made on a black stone altar. In reality, each was an aspect of Shub-Niggurath. Although the cult had been violently suppressed in Arabia, to which it had spread along the Sabaean trade routes, the cult still exists in the rugged highlands of Ethiopia and northern Italian Eritrea. Shunned by other natives, the cult has taken to preying on Italian missionaries and troops in Eritrea’s highlands. The cult has no pretensions about enslav-

ing humanity, destroying reality, or releasing the Great Old Ones. It seeks only to serve, and by serving, the cult members prosper.

Sebele The good people of Little Thornby are simple, Christian folk who, like their ancestors, till the land. They would be mortified to learn that the lord of the manor, Squire Horatio Thornchild, was keeping a woman in his house, especially since the woman in question is a black-skinned native of the some distant land whose appearance could curdle milk and whose faith was about as unchristian as one could get. There is already enough scandal concerning the squire, who has dismissed his staff and replaced them with black Ethiopians. A native of Ethiopia, Sebele is a priestess of the Black Triad. Captured following an attack on a British patrol led by the then Captain Thornchild, she was dragged before the young officer for questioning. Despite her ghastly appearance and primitive nature, Thornchild instantly became enamored of the savage woman. Rumors began spreading within a week. Instead of being thrown into jail to rot, Sebele was frequently seen at Thornchild’s side, though only ever while in camp. When Thornchild was in the field, she remained in his tent, chanting in a heathen tongue day and night. Other officers began to speak poorly of the fraternization, which was hardly becoming of an officer and a gentleman. Common soldiers grew to fear the black-skinned woman, whose eyes could tear through a man’s soul with a mere glance. When Thornchild learned that the general, tired of the rumors, intended on having Sebele executed as a spy, Thornchild resigned his commission and returned to England with Sebele in tow. With her face riven with deep, ceremonial scars, hair caked in filth, wild eyes, and sharpened teeth, Sebele would never be accepted into British society. Squire Thornchild keeps her sequestered in his manor. She is no prisoner, for she has become the true master of the household. Under her dark guidance, Thornchild has

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Cthulhu Codicil brought several tenant farmers and neighboring landowners into his trust. Together, they have become servants of the Black Triad, protecting their priestess and offering sacrifices of human blood to keep their lands prosperous. Sebele’s gaunt frame and thin limbs hide phenomenal strength and robustness. She is more than capable of throwing a grown man across a room, or tearing out his throat with one savage bite. Patron 3 Archetype: Clergyman; Motivation: Guardian; Style: 0 Primary Attributes: Body 4, Dexterity 2, Strength 4, Charisma 4, Intelligence 2, Willpower 5 Secondary Attributes: Size 0, Move 6, Perception 7, Initiative 4, Defense 6, Stun 5, Health 9, Sanity — Skills: Athletics 8, Elder Lore: Great Old Ones 5 (Shub-Niggurath 6), Intimidation 9 (Staredown 10, Violence 10), Linguistics 4, Performance 6 (Dancing 7), Stealth 6, Survival 5 Talents: Fearsome (Can temporarily frighten foes), Fearsome Attack (Uses Intimidation for unarmed attacks), Inspire (Can grant allies within 10 ft. a +2 bonus), Iron Jaw (+1 Stun rating) Resources: Rank 1 (Black Triad; +2 Social bonus) Rituals: Call Shub-Niggurath, Commune Shub-Niggurath, Raise Dead, Summon Spawn of Shub-Niggurath Flaws: Disfigured (–2 penalty on all rolls where her appearance is a factor; +1 Style point whenever she is rejected because of her appearance), Primitive (–2 penalty on any Skill roll related to modern technology; +1 Style point whenever her primitive nature hampers her or causes trouble) Weapons: Punch 10N, Bite 10L

Typical Member The cult only accepts women, though it cares nothing about culture, color, or former faith. All are expected to go about naked, shun washing or cutting their hair, and file down their teeth. Insane through frequent abasement before one of the Black Triad, they are bloodthirsty harpies—female versions of the

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Viking berserkers—whose life exists to serve the whims of the priestesses. Ally 1 Archetype: Everyman; Motivation: Faith; Style: 0 Primary Attributes: Body 2, Dexterity 2, Strength 3, Charisma 1, Intelligence 2, Willpower 2 Secondary Attributes: Size 0, Move 5, Perception 4, Initiative 4, Defense 4, Stun 2, Health 4, Sanity — Skills: Athletics 4, Intimidation 6, Stealth 4, Survival 4 Talents: Fearsome Attack (use Intimidation for unarmed attacks) Resources: Rank 0 (The Black Triad; +1 Social bonus) Flaws: Fanatical (+1 Style point whenever their devotion causes harm or they convert someone else to their way of thinking) Weapons: Punch 6N, Bite 6L

Bloody Order of the Sphinx Tourists visiting the majestic Giza Plateau are informed that the sand-encrusted Sphinx bears the noble face of Pharaoh Khafre, who ordered it constructed around 2500 BC. In reality, the Sphinx was constructed before the first pharaoh unified the Twin Lands of Egypt, and once possessed an abominable visage— the face of the living Sphinx. This truth is known only to members of the Bloody Order of the Sphinx, a foul cult that has worshipped the abhorrent entity since time immemorial. In a vast cavern of immeasurable age excavated deep beneath the plateau, worshippers offer human sacrifices to appease the blasphemous monstrosity and secure its favor. The cult’s leaders are adept at enticing new worshippers into the fold by promising whatever they think native Egyptians want to hear. In the present era, they are informed that loyalty will be duly rewarded by the overthrow of British rule.

Husam al Din Gamemasters will require the Guide to

Gods, Monsters, & Cultists Mummies to get full usage from this character. Husam al Din appears to be an unassuming Egyptian of indeterminable age. Tall and thin, he is possessed of remarkable fortitude and wiry strength. He works as a tour guide, escorting wealthy foreigners around the magnificent sites of the Giza Plateau and keeping away the swarms of beggars that plague tourists. He is often found either at the plateau or outside the major hotels in Cairo. Husam al Din was born Djehontyhetep, and served as a priest during the 12th Dynasty (1991-1802 BC). Utterly devoted to the Sphinx, Djehontyhetep was spared death by the ghoul queen Nitocris herself, who awakened his embalmed form as a living mummy that he might continue his work. No bandage wrapped shambling corpse, Djehontyhetep was restored to how he looked in life. A further blessing was granted him when Nitocris bestowed a form of immortality on him by tethering his soul to a phylactery. The sacred vessel takes the form of a small carved hawk-headed sphinx, which rests in a niche in the grand temple beneath Giza. In his guise as a guide, Djehontyhetep can ensure curious tourists do not accidentally stumble onto one of the secret entrances to the Sphinx temple. It also allows him to select suitable sacrifices. Djehontyhetep has developed numerous contacts among European Egyptologists. Those who suspect the truth about the age and nature of the Sphinx can be led astray with false information or, if they delve too deeply, be made to disappear. Among his fellow cultists he is known as the “Mouth of the Sphinx” and the “Right-Hand of Nitocris.” None of his fellow worshippers have any inkling as to his true age and identity. Patron 3 Archetype: Clergyman; Motivation: Faith; Style: 3 Primary Attributes: Body 4, Dexterity 2, Strength 4, Charisma 3, Intelligence 4, Willpower 5 Secondary Attributes: Size 0, Move 5, Perception 7, Initiative 5, Defense 6, Stun 4, Health 8, Horror — Skills: Academics: History 6, Academics: Reli-

gion 5, Athletics 5, Brawl 6, Con 6, Diplomacy 4, Elder Lore: Great Old Ones 6, Empathy 6, Intimidation 6, Linguistics 6, Streetwise 5 Talents: Fearsome (Can temporarily frighten foes), Inspire (May grant a +2 Skill bonus to all allies within 10 feet), Rabble-rouser (Can boost Followers as if it were a Talent) Resources: Artifact 1: Ankh (+1 Body rating)*, Contacts 1 (Egyptologists; +2 bonus), Rank 3 (Bloody Order to the Sphinx; +4 Social bonus) Rituals: Call Sphinx**, Channel Dead, Commune Nyarlathotep (Black Pharaoh avatar), Commune Sphinx, Fear, Harm, Lesser Hex, Summon Black Winged One, Summon Dimensional Shambler Flaws: Overconfident (+1 Style point whenever he is forced to ask for help or when his bravado gets him in over his head) Weapons: Punch 6N * Bonus Resource from his cult Rank. ** This ritual works only in the temple of the Sphinx. It brings the monster forth from the gaping cavern in which it slumbers. It is cast only during major ceremonies, when sacrifices are being offered. Awaken Mummies: Can animate a number of mummies in a combat or scene equal to his Charisma + Willpower. Mesmerize: This ability functions as per the Captivate Talent, except the mummy rolls Charisma + Willpower in place of Performance. Phylactery: If the mummy’s physical form is destroyed, its spirit automatically retreats to its phylactery to await rebirth. Renewed Form: The mummy’s physical appearance is as it was in life.

Typical Member The majority of cultists are uneducated, hard-working laborers and farmers, the latest in a line of cultists stretching back to Egypt’s earliest era. They have no knowledge of elder lore or magic, though they lend their support at major ceremonies. Ally 1 Archetype: Everyman; Motivation: Faith; Style: 0 Primary Attributes: Body 2, Dexterity 2,

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Cthulhu Codicil Strength 2, Charisma 2, Intelligence 2, Willpower 2 Secondary Attributes: Size 0, Move 4, Perception 4, Initiative 4, Defense 4, Stun 2, Health 6, Horror — Skills: Athletics 4, Brawl 4, Intimidation 4, Melee 4, Stealth 4 Talents: Robust (+2 Health rating) Resources: Rank 0 (Bloody Order of the Sphinx; +1 Social bonus) Flaws: Fanatical (+1 Style point whenever their devotion causes harm or they convert someone else to their way of thinking) Weapons: Punch 4N, Dagger 5L

Cult of the Black Hand Academics have written copious volumes on the history of the Assassins, an Islamic splinter sect who terrorized both Crusaders and Muslims during the 12th and 13th centuries. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, much of what is written is false. The Assassins were led, so it is written, by the Old Man of the Mountain. This mysterious figure would order his minions to murder and his commands were met with fierce loyalty. The Old Man was, in fact, an avatar of Nyarlathotep. None ever saw his form, for it was wrapped in a voluminous black robe, save for his withered and blackened right hand. With a touch of this gnarled limb he could bestow his worshippers with supernatural abilities or condemn them to a grisly death. Scholars believe that initiates were drugged and taken to a secret garden, which they were informed was Paradise. Serve the cult well and they would spend eternity in Paradise as their reward. In fact, the garden was on an alien world, reached by means of a Gate ritual. History is correct in recording the destruction of the cult at the hands of the Muslims in 1256. Scholars argue whether or not this was an act of revenge for the Assassins attempting to kill Möngke Khan. The truth is more prosaic—Mongol spies learned the abhorrent truth concerning the Old Man of the Mountain and set about ridding the world of his evil influence. Despite the Mongols smashing several

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fortresses and putting hundreds of Assassins to the sword, the cult survived. The cult’s name stems not only from the appearance of the Old Man’s right hand, but also the palsied hands of many senior members. A blessing from Nyarlathotep, the withered limb can be detached from the arm without causing injury and sent abroad to murder opponents. When detached, it functions as a disembodied hand (see Leagues of Gothic Horror). Unlike a standard disembodied hand, this version can be reattached to the arm. Nyarlathotep has no grand plan for the cult. As in days of old, his followers kill important military, political, and religious figures in order to spread chaos and dissent.

Nagisa Tehrani The only child of a poor family of weavers, Nagisa has left poverty behind for a life of luxury. Born and raised in Persia, her exquisite voice has brought her fame on the international stage. Where as a child she sang for her family, she now sings for the rich and powerful. This has worked out very well for Nagisa, for she is a member of the Cult of the Black Hand and a skilled Assassin. Nagisa has travelled far and wide, leaving a trail of corpses behind her. She has escaped detection thus far simply because no one suspects her of being a murderer, but it wouldn’t take a genius to start noticing that death seems to follow wherever she has a performance. Both her hands were hideously burned in a childhood accident. While she retained the use of her left hand, she keeps them both covered at all times. Having received the “Touch of the Old Man,” she can detach her right hand. Recently gifted with a rare enchanted Assassin’s Dagger by Nyarlathotep as reward for her services, Nagisa has succumbed to the relic’s side-effect and is now a hashish addict. Patron 2 Archetype: Celebrity; Motivation: Duty; Style: 2 Primary Attributes: Body 3, Dexterity 4, Strength 2, Charisma 3 (4), Intelligence 3, Willpower 3 Secondary Attributes: Size 0, Move 6, Percep-

Gods, Monsters, & Cultists tion 6, Initiative 7, Defense 7, Stun 3, Health 6, Horror — Skills: Athletics 4, Brawl 4, Diplomacy 5, Empathy 5, Larceny 6, Linguistics 4, Melee 8, Performance 7, Stealth 6, Streetwise 5 Talents: Attractive (+1 Charisma with people), Finesse Attack (Uses Dexterity for Melee) Resources: Artifact 2 (Assassin’s Dagger)*. Fame 1 (Singer; +2 Social bonus), Rank 4 (Cult of the Black Hand; +4 Social bonus) Rituals: Alter Visibility, Commune Nyarlathotep (Old Man avatar), Control Animal, Spirit Binding Flaws: Fanatical (+1 Style point whenever her devotion causes harm or she converts someone else to her way of thinking) Weapons: Punch 4N, Knife 9L * Bonus Resource from her cult Rank. Black Hand: Nagisa can detached her right hand as an attack action. The hand then functions independently.

Typical Member The rank and file of the cult is made up of murderers and thugs. Brainwashed into believing Paradise awaits them, these fanatical killers are only too willing to obey the chief servants of the Old Man of the Mountain. Those who fail a mission are quick to take their own lives in order to protect the cult. Ally 1 Archetype: Everyman; Motivation: Faith; Style: 0 Primary Attributes: Body 2, Dexterity 2, Strength 2, Charisma 2, Intelligence 2, Willpower 2 Secondary Attributes: Size 0, Move 4, Perception 4, Initiative 4, Defense 4, Stun 2, Health 4, Horror — Skills: Athletics 4, Brawl 4, Melee 4, Stealth 6 Talents: Subtle Strike (May use Stealth rating when making a Brawl or Melee attack against an unaware opponent) Resources: Rank 0 (Cult of the Black Hand; +1 Social bonus) Flaws: Fanatical (+1 Style point whenever their devotion causes harm or they convert someone else to their way of thinking) Weapons: Punch 4N, Knife 5L

Cult of the Red Leech King Leopold II of Belgium may claim the Congo Free State as a private reserve, and his administrators and soldiers may impose his harsh laws with no concern for the natives they govern, but were they to learn the dark truth behind some of the many legends told by Congolese tribesmen only in hushed whispers they would retreat back to Europe and dream no more of god-cursed Congo. Beside the leech-filled waters of a remote lake stand Cyclopean ruins. The natives tell of a great city that stood on the shore in the days of their most distant ancestors, but they do not venture near. In these waters, they say, swims a living god, a monstrous red leech. The leech is very real, though it is an avatar of Nyarlathotep and is normally present only when its cult summons it to accept sacrifices. The Cult of the Red Leech is as old as the ruined city and once formed the priesthood of the Red Leech. Today, worshippers offer the abomination sacrifices in the hope that it will protect them from the barbaric acts of the occupying Belgians. The Belgians willfully engage in wholesale mutilation of the Congolese. The country’s main export is rubber and quotas are strictly enforced. Wives and children of rubber collectors who fail to meet their personal quota have their hands amputated as punishment. This has led to open warfare between neighboring villages, with natives hacking off their neighbors’ hands in order to pay for any drop in productivity. Worse, Belgian soldiers can shorten the terms of their military service by delivering a quota of severed hands, meaning that any native is a potential target. The Red Leech’s insane priests proselytize that given enough sacrifices and devotion, the Red Leech will rise up and rid the Congo of the Europeans.

Pierre-Casimir Vermeersch A cruel and petty man, Vermeersch is a rising star among the brutal colonial administrators of the Congo Free State. In his eyes, the natives are savages, little more than apes and

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Cthulhu Codicil Sherlock Holmes and the Mythos Modern works such as Shadows Over Baker Street and The Cthulhu Casebooks - Sherlock Holmes and the Shadwell Shadows have seen the Great Detective battle the horrors of the Mythos. Conan Doyle made passing reference to several cases which, with only a little imagination, are ripe for using as Leagues of Cthulhu stories featuring the globetrotters as the protagonists. The titles of these cases and what little Doyle wrote concerning them are presented below. * The Case of the Barrow Treasure: Here also I find an account of the Addleton tragedy and the singular contents of the ancient British barrow. * The Case of Isadora Persano & the Remarkable Worm: A third case worthy of note is that of Isadora Persano, the wellknown journalist and duellist, who was found stark staring mad with a match box in front of him which contained a remarkable worm said to be unknown to science. * Colonel Warburton’s Madness: Of all the problems which have been submitted to my friend, Mr. Sherlock Holmes, for solution during the years of our intimacy, there were only two in which I was the means of introducing them to his notice -- that of Mr. Hatherley’s thumb, and that of Colonel Warburton’s madness. * The Disappearance of Mr. James Phillimore: Among these unfinished tales is that of Mr. James Phillimore, who, stepping back into his own house to get his umbrella, was never more seen in this world. * The Giant Rat of Sumatra: “Matilda Briggs was not the name of a young woman, Watson,” said Holmes in a reminiscent voice. “It was a ship which is associated with the giant rat of Sumatra, a story for which the world is not yet prepared.” * The Repulsive Story of the Red Leech: [...] the repulsive story of the red leech and the terrible death of Crosby the banker. * Ricoletti of the Club Foot and His Abominable Wife: [...] as well as a full account of Ricoletti of the club foot and his abominable wife.

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fit only to be worked to death for the glory of the King. Vermeersch’s introduction to the Cult of the Red Leech was as a sacrifice. Thrown into the terrible lake, the administrator’s sanity began to shred as the Red Leech rose up from the dark water in search of nourishment. Nyarlathotep probed the mind of the screaming offering, intent on savoring his fear and agony. Instead, it touched upon the memories of summary executions, floggings, and starvation Vermeersch had inflicted on the Congolese. Rather than devour the mortal, the Red Leech offered him a choice—serve me and prosper, or die now in agony. Utterly insane, Vermeersch vowed there and then to honor the Red Leech. To seal the pact, the Red Leech replaced Vermeersch’s left arm with a huge, repulsive leech. That arm hangs limply by his side, the monstrous appendage concealed at all times by his uniform. The leech’s head attaches to the stump of a wooden hand. By removing the fake limb, the Belgian can use the bloodsucking creature to attack foes. He explains his deformity away as the result of an infection that devoured much of his arm’s bones. Patron 2 Archetype: Government Official; Motivation: Power; Style: 2 Primary Attributes: Body 3, Dexterity 3, Strength 3, Charisma 2, Intelligence 3, Willpower 4 Secondary Attributes: Size 0, Move 6, Perception 7, Initiative 6, Defense 6, Stun 4, Health 7, Horror — (3 if he reveals his left arm) Skills: Athletics 4, Brawl 5, Bureaucracy 6, Diplomacy 4, Firearms 4, Intimidation 6, Investigation 4, Linguistics 5, Stealth 4, Streetwise 4 Talents: Dodge (Perform Dodge as reflexive action), Iron Jaw (+1 Stun rating), Skill Aptitude (+2 Brawl rating; left arm only) Resources: Rank 1 (Cult of the Red Leech; +2 Social bonus), Status 1 (Colonial administrator; +2 Social bonus) Rituals: Commune Nyarlathotep (Red Leech aspect), Control Animal (leeches only), Drain Life, Fear, Nature’s Wrath Flaws: One Arm (–2 penalty on any roll requiring two hands; +1 Style point whenever he drops something or makes a critical blunder

Gods, Monsters, & Cultists because of his missing arm), Sadism (+1 Style point whenever he is needlessly cruel to his friends or enemies) Weapons: Punch 5N, Leech 7, Heavy revolver 7L Leech: The leech must first be used to make a grapple. Success means it has latched onto an opponent. On subsequent combat turns, the leech automatically inflicts 1L damage on Vermeersch‘s initiative. Each point of damage it inflicts heals one wound on Vermeersch, starting with nonlethal injuries. In order to remove the leech, the victim must win an opposed Strength roll against Vermeersch’s Strength.

Typical Member Unable to strike back directly against the Belgians without provoking brutal reprisals, cultists vent their rage and frustration through the cult’s wild ceremonies. When the opportunity allows, captured Belgians are hacked to pieces with machetes, their bloody remains thrown into leech-infested pools and rivers as offerings to the god. Ally 1 Archetype: Everyman; Motivation: Revenge; Style: 0 Primary Attributes: Body 2, Dexterity 2, Strength 2, Charisma 2, Intelligence 2, Willpower 2 Secondary Attributes: Size 0, Move 4, Perception 4, Initiative 4, Defense 4, Stun 2, Health 4, Sanity — Skills: Athletics 4, Brawl 4, Intimidation 4, Melee 4, Survival 4 Talents: Flurry (Attack same opponent twice with –2 penalty) Resources: Rank 0 (Cult of the Red Leech; +1 Social bonus) Flaws: One Arm (–2 penalty on any roll requiring two hands; +1 Style point whenever he drops something or makes a critical blunder because of his missing arm) Weapons: Punch 4N, Machete 6L

The Faceless Victorian society enforces strict mores, espe-

cially on those at the higher end of the social ladder. A public scandal can ruin a life and leave an indelible stain on one’s family reputation. Certain behavior would cause an outcry from even persons of loose but conventional morals. For those with desires, some might say cravings, that reach far beyond conventional immorality, the Faceless offers refuge and comradeship. Their faces hidden behind featureless porcelain masks that guarantee anonymity and hide their humanity, cultists willingly succumb to dark temptation and embrace the malice and perversity in their irredeemable souls. In the name of the Faceless One (an avatar of Nyarlathotep), cultists engage in acts of wanton degradation, casual depravity, and murderous torture—each act of pain and hatred a ritual to their deity.

Gloriana Wimbourne As far as the public is concerned, Wimbourne is an up-and-coming landscape artist whose watercolors grace several minor galleries. Not yet a fixture in the society columns, her rising star has seen her invited to various lesser galas and soirees, and earned her several commissions from the gentry. Beneath the shy smile and innocent eyes, though, beats the heart of a monster. Repeatedly beaten by her stepfather, Wimbourne came to savor the pain inflicted by his fists and leather belt. The tears of pain evolved into tears of joy, the muffled shrieks of agony becoming cries of ecstasy. Her stepfather was her first victim. After he fell into a drunken stupor after delivering a particularly vicious beating, Wimbourne repaid his “kindness” in full. Even when he awoke screaming in terror, she continued her bloody work. When at last she stopped through exhaustion, the corpse was barely recognizable as that of a human. For Wimbourne, painting is nothing more than a way to alleviate the boredom of existence before the next gathering of the Faceless, the next time her soul can be free of the shackles of morality that bind it tight. Wimbourne seeks perfection in her true work. It is not enough to inflict pain or keep a victim conscious and in

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Cthulhu Codicil agony for hours. She desires the pure scream of agony that would shatter the ears of angels, the carving of flesh that would bring tears to the harshest critic. Until that time comes, she hones her abhorrent artistry on the flesh of innocent victims captured by the Faceless. Patron 3 Archetype: Artist; Motivation: Excellence; Style: 3 Primary Attributes: Body 3, Dexterity 5, Strength 2, Charisma 3, Intelligence 4, Willpower 4 Secondary Attributes: Size 0, Move 7, Perception 8, Initiative 9, Defense 8, Stun 4, Health 9, Sanity — Skills: Art: Painting 7 (Landscapes 8), Brawl 5, Con 6, Elder Lore: Creatures 5, Elder Lore: Great Old Ones 5, Empathy 7, Intimidation 8 (Torture 9), Linguistics 5, Melee 7, Performance 4 Talents: Finesse Attack (uses Dexterity with Melee), Iron Jaw (+1 Stun rating), Robust (+2 Health rating) Resources: Fame 1 (Artist; +2 Social bonus), Rank 2 (The Faceless; +2 Social bonus), Refuge: Equipment 1 (+2 Intimidation rating)* Rituals: Commune Faceless One, Fear, Summon Ghoul, Summon Spawn of Shub-Niggurath (Satyr only) Flaws: Masochism (+1 Style point whenever she hurts herself or needlessly invites harm), Sadism (+1 Style point whenever she is needlessly cruel to others) Weapons: Punch 5N, Dagger 8L * Bonus Resource from her Rank.

Typical Member The Faceless do not distinguish between race, gender, or social class—all are equally faceless in the cult, though there are ranks. While they appear as normal, upright members of society while living their daily lives, once they don their simple masks, they gladly participate in the most cruel, sadistic, and barbaric acts imaginable. There is no limit to their depravity. Ally 1 Archetype: Any; Motivation: Faith or Power; Style: 0

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Primary Attributes: Body 2, Dexterity 2, Strength 2, Charisma 2, Intelligence 2, Willpower 2 Secondary Attributes: Size 0, Move 4, Perception 4, Initiative 4, Defense 4, Stun 2, Health 4, Sanity — Skills*: Brawl 4, Intimidation 6 (Torture 7), Melee 3 (Knives 4) Talents: Skill Aptitude (+2 Intimidation rating) Resources: Rank 0 (The Faceless; +1 Social bonus) Flaws: Sadism (+1 Style point whenever they are needlessly cruel to others) Weapons: Punch 0N, Dagger 5L * Cultists have four Skill points remaining. The Gamemaster should spend these on Skills relating to their profession. If the cultists are to used solely as nameless fodder, the Gamemaster can ignore these unspent points.

Illuminated Fraternity of the

All-Seeing Eye

The devotions of this cult’s members are offered to the All-Seeing Eye, another avatar of Nyarlathotep. It appears as a huge human eyeball surrounded by a swirling black cloud riven by flashes of red lightning. Dangling from the lower portion of the cloud are a mass of fine silver tentacles. The cult has a single goal—authoritarian world domination. Nations and religions will be swept aside in favor of worship of the All-Seeing Eye, a single global government, and a common language. As a result, the cult believes there will be worldwide peace and cooperation. Naturally, cultists believe they are assured positions of authority. Whereas many cults appeal to those at the lower end of the social spectrum, the Illuminated Fraternity counts among its ranks businessmen, politicians, and military officers, plus a few aristocrats. By aiding each other, members have infiltrated the higher echelons of their respective occupations. Their plans are, of course, for the greater good of humanity, for sheep need shepherds

Gods, Monsters, & Cultists and a growing herd must be culled regularly to keep it manageable. Famines, financial mismanagement, war, political scandal, assassination—all are valid tools in achieving the desired new world order. The cult rarely engages in human sacrifice or the darker aspects of other cults. Most members believe the All-Seeing Eye is a manifestation of God and that their work is for the eventual benefit of all humanity. That the symbol of the cult, a depiction of Nyarlathotep’s avatar, has also been used by Freemasons is not a coincidence—over the centuries, the cult has infiltrated and subverted many Masonic lodges to its insidious goal. The cult has existed for millennia under a variety of aliases. Its current name dates from the 18th century. Throughout history it has taken great strides forward, only to be repeatedly thwarted by fate, rival cults, and organizations opposed to the Great Old Ones. Khephren-Ka (the Black Pharaoh), Akhenaten (the so-called Heretic pharaoh), Alexander the Great, Caligula, Attila the Hun, Pope Urban II, Ghengis Khan, and Napoleon Bonaparte, were all manipulated to a greater or lesser degree by the All-Seeing Eye. In the current era, the All-Seeing Eye is manipulating the British Empire to achieve its goal. Whether or not Nyarlathotep truly cares about world domination is open to debate. As the Crawling Chaos, the unbridled chaos and uproar that would ensue from the cult’s attempts to proclaim itself the global power would undoubtedly be just as pleasing to him as would success.

Cecil Rhodes A renowned businessman and politician, Cecil Rhodes (1853-1902) is a powerful and fanatical member of the Illuminated Fraternity. Through his diamond company, De Beers, Rhodes already controls the world market in diamonds. Through threats and bribes, he established many mining concessions from tribal chieftains. Between 1890 and 1896 he rules as Prime Minister of the Cape Colony. Through this role, he has commenced stripping natives of their ancestral lands, as well as basic rights.

Rhodes fervently believes in the superiority not just of the “white race,” but in the dominance of the British Empire. He has spoken publicly about his desire to impart “England everywhere,” imposing its rules and language on the rest of the world. He has even advocated reannexing the United States of America. Undoubtedly a racist, Rhodes firmly believes that his ideas are for the betterment of the human race. Rhodes’ voicing of his ideas does not sit well with others in the cult, who much favor their secretive approach to world domination. While he wields considerable power, he has a growing number of enemies who wish to silence him forever. Nyarlathotep has chosen to let Rhodes live for now—his speeches are a welcome distraction from the true powerplays taking place behind the scenes.

Cthulhu Codicil Patron 3 Archetype: Government Official; Motivation: Power; Style: 3 Primary Attributes: Body 3, Dexterity 3, Strength 3, Charisma 4, Intelligence 4, Willpower 4 Secondary Attributes: Size 0, Move 6, Perception 8, Initiative 7, Defense 6, Stun 3, Health 7, Horror — Skills: Brawl 4, Bureaucracy 8 (Government 9), Connoisseur 5, Diplomacy 8 (Negotiation 9, Politics 9), Empathy 6, Intimidation 6 (Orders 7), Investigation 6, Linguistics 6, Performance 6, Ride 6 Talents: Acclimated (Can resist extreme temperatures for longer), Inspire (Provides +2 Skill bonus to allies), Natural Leader (Can recruit temporary allies), Well-Connected (Can improve Contacts as if it were a Talent) Resources: Contacts 1 (Politicians; +2 bonus)*, Rank 4 (Illuminated Fraternity of the All-Seeing Eye; +4 Social bonus)**, Rank 1 (prospectors’ Club; +2 Social bonus), Status 3 (Prime Minister of Cape Colony; +4 Social bonus), Wealth 4*** Rituals: Commune Nyarlathotep (All-Seeing Eye avatar) Flaws: Intolerance: Non-Anglo-Saxons (+1 Style point whenever his intolerance causes trouble, or he convinces someone else to detest the same thing he does), Sickly: Heart condition (–2 penalty on all rolls when feeling sick; +1 Style point whenever he suffers from his illness) Weapons: Punch 0N * Bonus Resource from his Status. ** Has two bonus Resources from his Rank. These are left for the Gamemaster to assign. *** Has two bonus Resources from his Wealth. These are left for the Gamemaster to assign.

Typical Member Typical members of the Illuminated Fraternity are a cut above most other cultists. While they conduct ceremonies, they are rarely wild orgies or involve human sacrifice. They wear no hooded robes, employing only an enamel pin to show their loyalty. To the last they are middle- or upper-class, rather than the dregs of society.

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Ally 1 Archetype: Military Officer; Motivation: Power; Style: 1 Primary Attributes: Body 2, Dexterity 2, Strength 2, Charisma 2, Intelligence 2, Willpower 2 Secondary Attributes: Size 0, Move 4, Perception 4, Initiative 4, Defense 4, Stun 2, Health 4, Horror — Skills: Athletics 4, Brawl 4, Firearms 4, Intimidation 4, Ride 4 Talents: — Resources: Rank 0 (Illuminated Fraternity of the All-Seeing Eye; +1), Rank 1 (Military officer; +2 Social bonus) Flaws: Fanatical (+1 Style point whenever their devotion causes harm or they convert someone else to their way of thinking) Weapons: Punch 4N, Heavy revolver 7L

League of the Black Sun Yet another avatar of blasphemous and malign Nyarlathotep, the Black Sun appears to worshippers as a black sphere from which emanate multiple black tentacles. The cult’s origins lie in what historians call the Migration Period, a time during the midfirst millennia AD when the superpower that was Rome was overrun by successive waves of pagan invaders from the East. The first artifacts hinting at its existence were stylized brooches manufactured by the Alamanni, a confederation of pagan tribes whose homelands lay on the Upper Rhine. Word of their fell ceremonies and perverse goal spread across the region, prompting Clovis, leader of the Franks, to crush them in 496. As is often the case, while many people died, the idea they followed survived. Indeed, the cult not only survived, it expanded by spreading its tendrils into Frankish culture. The cult’s aim is quite simple—to open a dimensional gate which will overlay our universe with that of the Black Sun. All light will be extinguished, plunging the world into darkness and chaos. When the cult refers to “light,” it refers not just to sources of illumination (such as the stars), but to artistic culture

Gods, Monsters, & Cultists and learning, as well as Christianity. It will be a return to the Dark Ages of ignorance and fear, with the addition of utter blackness. In place of schooling, the chosen (that being the cultists) will engage in debased orgies and in violence against non-believers who survive the turmoil, before being taken up to the inky heavens to join with their god. The cult has twice before attempted its great ritual to bring about the Black Sun. The first occurred in Turkey in 526, but caused only a powerful earthquake in which over 250,000 people died. The second was in 1315. The magical backlash from that ritual caused a massive famine, resulting in over seven million deaths over a two-year period. The stars are aligning once more, though, and this time the cult intends to succeed in its insane goal. Hedging his bets, Nyarlathotep has another cult—the Serpents of Apep (see Leagues of Adventure)—working toward a similar goal. It is likely that should he succeed, Nyarlathotep will manifest in his Haunter of the Dark avatar, a being that abhors light.

Johnny No-Nose It’s not an easy life being a beggar. Johnny didn’t lose his nose in a duel over a woman or a glorious battle, nor even an industrial accident. His nose was chewed off by rats as he lay in the gutter in a drunken stupor one cold winter’s night. Before the League of the Black Sun recruited him, nobody had ever given Johnny anything, except for the occasional kick, a sermon on how the poor are responsible for their own predicament, or a stare more normally reserved for when one finds dog mess on the soles of one’s best boots. Though still poor, Johnny at least has a roof over his head in the cult’s secret temple and one meal a day provided by his congregation. A fervent believer that the dawning of the Black Sun will usher in a new world for the poor and needy, Johnny has risen to the status of priest. By day, he recruits new members from the city’s poor. Come the night, he offers sacrifices to his god and prepares for the great ritual. Although his poverty precludes him from main-

taining technological communication with fellow cultists around the world, Nyarlathotep instructs him through dreams. Patron 2 Archetype: Everyman; Motivation: Escape; Style: 2 Primary Attributes: Body 4, Dexterity 2, Strength 3, Charisma 2, Intelligence 3, Willpower 4 Secondary Attributes: Size 0, Move 5, Perception 7, Initiative 5, Defense 6, Stun 4, Health 8, Horror — Skills: Athletics 4, Brawl 4, Con 6, Elder Lore: Great Old Ones 4, Intimidation 5, Melee 5, Stealth 6, Streetwise 6 Talents: Flurry (Can attack same opponent twice at –2 penalty), Quick Draw (Can draw weapon as a reflexive action) Resources: Contacts 1 (Beggars; +2 bonus), Rank 1 (League of the Black Sun; +2 Social bonus) Rituals: Alter Visibility, Commune Nyarlathotep (Black Sun avatar), Harm, Summon Black Winged One, Summon Night-gaunt, Summon Spawn of Tsathoggua Flaws: Disfigured (–2 penalty on all rolls where your character’s appearance is a factor; +1 Style point whenever he is rejected because of his appearance), No Olfaction (–2 penalty on taste- or scent-dependent rolls; +1 Style point whenever his poor sense of smell or impaired taste gets him into trouble or causes him to make a critical mistake) Weapons: Punch 4N, Straight razor 5L

Typical Member The disenfranchised and uneducated are attracted to the League of the Black Sun, for it promises them a favored position once the Black Sun has dawned. Among the ranks can be found beggars and prostitutes, laborers and sailors, and degenerates and the deformed. One thing they have in common is how to look after themselves on the streets. Ally 1 Archetype: Everyman; Motivation: Faith; Style: 0 Primary Attributes: Body 2, Dexterity 2,

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Cthulhu Codicil Strength 2, Charisma 2, Intelligence 2, Willpower 2 Secondary Attributes: Size 0, Move 4, Perception 4, Initiative 4, Defense 4, Stun 2, Health 4, Horror — Skills: Athletics 4, Brawl 4, Intimidation 4, Melee 4, Streetwise 4 Talents: Savvy Fighter (Always retains full Defense rating) Resources: Rank 0 (League of the Black Sun; +1 Social bonus) Flaws: Fanatical (+1 Style point whenever their devotion causes harm or they convert someone else to their way of thinking) Weapons: Punch 4N, Knife 5L

Order of the Fisher-God The quasi-Christian Order of the FisherGod began as a secret society on the Society Islands, of which the best known is Tahiti. Persecuted by early missionaries for their fell customs, including sacrificing newborns to the sea in the belief they would be reborn into a higher plane of existence, the cultists adopted Christian beliefs into their own in an attempt to survive. Disparagingly known as the Mamaia (“rotten fruit”), the cultists were finally driven from the islands in a violent purge in 1833. Far from withering, the cult gained new strength as the outcasts found fertile soil in foreign lands. Before its mutation, the cult worshipped an entity known as Ta’aroa. Creator of all and who dwelt beneath the waves, the deity formed the universe on seven levels. Man occupied the second lowest level, with only the plants and animals beneath him. Through adherence to dogma and performing certain rites passed down through many generations, believers could elevate themselves to higher planes. Of the higher planes, the highest man can achieve in corporeal form is the third. This requires a physical transformation to a form better suited to life beneath the waves. Following the merging with Christianity, the Order focused on aspects of the Bible concerned with water. Were not the creatures of the sea created before other animals? Did God not once cleanse away sinners with a flood? Is

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water not used to baptize the faithful? In their perverted view, Jesus was an enlightened follower of Ta’aroa (now known within the cult only as the Fisher-God), a disciple of the third level of reality, as evidenced by his abilities to walk on water, fill nets with fish, and divide a handful of fish to feed a multitude. Having received visions from their god, the cult leaders believe he will soon rise from his watery home to cleanse the world of non-believers, wash away the faithful’s sins, and bring forth a new paradise.

Pastor Andrew Of Tahitian extract mingled with more than a touch of Deep One blood, Pastor Andrew is a common sight down by the city docks. Armed with bundles of pamphlets, he vocally espouses the virtues of the cult while attempting to persuade mariners and the wretched citizens who inhabit the nearby slum to save their souls from destruction by accepting the love of the Fisher-God into their lives. Smartly dressed and clean shaven, he exhorts striving for the wisdom of the Fisher-God so that one might purify one’s soul and transcend to a higher plane. His favorite quote is Habakkuk 2:14—“For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.” Touched by the light of the Fisher-God, from whom he receives prophetic visions and the gift of aid from men and women who have already transcended, Andrew truly believes that he is well on the journey to elevating himself to the third level of existence. Though few of those to whom he preaches care for his faith, Andrew is well liked. Were outsiders to threaten him, a small crowd would soon leap to his defense. Patron 3 Archetype: Clergyman; Motivation: Faith; Style: 3 Primary Attributes: Body 3, Dexterity 2, Strength 3, Charisma 4, Intelligence 3, Willpower 3 Secondary Attributes: Size 0, Move 5, Perception 6, Initiative 5, Defense 5, Stun 3, Health 6, Horror —

Gods, Monsters, & Cultists Skills: Academics: Religion 5, Athletics 6 (Swimming 7), Brawl 4, Con 6, Diplomacy 6, Elder Lore: Great Old Ones 5 (Cthulhu 6), Firearms 6, Intimidation 5, Linguistics 4, Streetwise 5 Talents: Combat Skill (+2 Defense with Athletics), Dodge (Perform Dodge as reflexive action), Rabble-Rouser (Can boost Followers as if it were a Talent), Swim (Doubles swimming speed) Resources: Artifact 1 (Deep One Tiara)*, Rank 3 (Order of the Fisher-God; +4 Social bonus) Rituals: Commune Cthulhu, Fear, Summon Deep Ones, Summon Shoggoth Flaws: Fanatical (+1 Style point whenever their devotion causes harm or they convert someone else to their way of thinking) Weapons: Punch 4N, Heavy revolver 9L * Bonus Resource from his Rank Resource

Typical Member The cult has many respectable members, but the majority is made up of those who work on the ocean, such as fishermen and mariners. Most believe the cult is nothing more than a branch of Christianity concerned with their saving their souls from impending doom. This does not make them any less fanatical, nor does it excuse the human sacrifices they offer to their deity. Ally 1 Archetype: Everyman; Motivation: Faith; Style: 0 Primary Attributes: Body 2, Dexterity 2, Strength 2, Charisma 2, Intelligence 2, Willpower 2 Secondary Attributes: Size 0, Move 4, Perception 4, Initiative 4, Defense 4, Stun 2, Health 6, Horror — Skills: Acrobatics 4, Athletics 4, Brawl 4, Melee 4, Pilot: Nautical 4 Talents: Robust (+2 Health rating) Resources: Rank 0 (Order of the Fisher-God; +1 Social bonus) Flaws: Fanatical (+1 Style point whenever their devotion causes harm or they convert someone else to their way of thinking) Weapons: Punch 4N, Knife 5L

Order of the Grand Pyramid of Starry Wisdom The scarab beetle, as personified by the god Khepri, had long been an important motif to the ancient Egyptians. Amulets in the form of scarabs have been unearthed as funerary and commemorative decorations, and inscribed with the names of pharaohs and gods alike. Egyptologists are erroneous in their belief that Khepri, whose name means “develop” or “create,” had no cult. In the far distant future, long after humanity has run its course and faded from lore, the Great Race of Yith returns to Earth to inhabit a coleopterous (beetle-like) race. As before, the alien scholars cast their minds back through the ages seeking knowledge. In the 27th century BC, they transferred the mind of a young but talented engineer into the future. As has happened more than once, some minds recall their experiences living among the Great Race. Through strange dreams, the engineer recalled the beetles and their advanced understanding of architecture. As the visions gained more clarity, the man became known not only as an engineer and architect, but for his profound knowledge of medicine, astronomy, and magic. Many saw him as a seer, for he spoke of past and future events as if he has witnessed them in person. Human history records his name as Imhotep (“The one who comes in peace”). Believing his dreams were visions sent by Khepri (as he named the strange beetles), the polymath created a small and secretive cult, and to its members he disseminated the “starry wisdom” he had gathered. Leaving his first disciples to continue his work, Imhotep sought a means of communicating with Khepri so that he might gain further knowledge. In the ruins of an elder city in the deep desert west of the Nile, he discovered a spell that could call upon Khepri to attend a magician. Through this means, Imhotep brought forth Khepri and made a pact—his students would volunteer themselves to attend the god’s hall and in return would receive further lore. At first, the cult was benevolent, seeking

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Cthulhu Codicil only to advance humanity. Through their relentless drive to aid all the races of man equally, the knowledge of how to create pyramids (towering basalt versions of which the Great Race will live in the far future, and which Imhotep called “the halls of the gods”) was brought to the natives of the Americas and Southeast Asia. As is often the way, the ideal gradually became debased and perverted. Instead of aiding humanity, cult members began to think only of serving their own ends, of selling knowledge rather than giving it freely. As far as the world is concerned, the order is nothing more a private club for wealthy citizens with trappings not unlike those of Freemasonry. Unlike many other cults, members do not partake in bloody sacrifices or proffer praise to the Great Old Ones.

Eliaphas Partridge Partridge, a historian by profession, stumbled across vague mention of an ancient Egyptian secret society while excavating the tomb of a minor noble from the 17th Dynasty. Intrigued, he began investigating further, searching for links between Egypt and other cultures. As he began to sift pieces of the archaeological puzzle, Partridge was brought to the attention of the Temple of the Pyramid of Starry Wisdom. More than eager to learn the truth, he was initiated into the cult. Partridge has no interest in the advanced science proffered by contract with the Great Race. Through the inquisition of human, and some alien, minds living in previous ages, Partridge has unearthed a number of previously lost ruins, some of which predate by humanity by millions of years. Nothing he unearths ever goes to museums, only to the hands of private collectors prepared to pay a fortune to own unique treasures. Partridge has little interest in the Mythos itself, caring only that certain individuals will spend vast sums for fragments of writing, statues of grotesque deities, and more puzzling objects. Likewise, he never asks to what purpose a Mythos-related object may be used—all he cares about is money.

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Patron 2 Archetype: Academic; Motivation: Greed; Style: 2 Primary Attributes: Body 3, Dexterity 3, Strength 3, Charisma 3, Intelligence 3, Willpower 3 Secondary Attributes: Size 0, Move 6, Perception 6, Initiative 6, Defense 6, Stun 3, Health 6, Sanity — Skills: Academics: History 8, Anthropology 6, Brawl 4, Demolitions 4, Elder Lore: Locations 5, Expeditions 5, Firearms 4, Investigation 6, Linguistics 5, Survival 5 Talents: Acclimated (Can resist extreme temperatures for longer), Skill Aptitude (+2 Academics; History rating) Resources: Contacts 1 (Cultists; +2 bonus), Rank 1 (Order of the Grand Pyramid of Starry Wisdom; +2 Social bonus) Rituals: Summon Great Race of Yith Flaws: Secret (+1 Style point whenever he is confronted with the truth or goes out of his way to protect the secret) Weapons: Punch 4N, Heavy revolver 7L

Typical Member Not every cult worships the Great Old Ones or conducts bloody sacrifices in the name of unpronounceable entities. Certainly, members of the cult voluntarily forsake their earthly bodies to alien minds and dwell among the Great Race for a number of years, but the potential rewards on their return to normalcy are astounding. Ally 1 Archetype: Businessman or Inventor; Motivation: Greed or Power; Style: 0 Primary Attributes: Body 2, Dexterity 2, Strength 2, Charisma 2, Intelligence 2, Willpower 2 Secondary Attributes: Size 0, Move 4, Perception 4, Initiative 4, Defense 4, Stun 2, Health 4, Sanity — Skills: Brawl 4, Bureaucracy 4 or Science: Pick one 4, Intimidation 4, Investigation 4, Linguistics 4 Talents: — Resources: Rank 0 (Order of the Grand Pyramid of Starry Wisdom; +1 Social bonus), Status 1 (Wealthy; +2 Social bonus)

Gods, Monsters, & Cultists Flaws: Fanatical (+1 Style point whenever their devotion causes harm or they convert someone else to their way of thinking) Weapons: Punch 4N

Priory of the Enlightened Ones The Great Race of Yith studies the inhabitants of many worlds, but seem to have a particular curiosity toward the culture, science, and occultism of the human race. The minds of those snatched by the Yithians and transported to their remote juncture in time are wiped clean of any knowledge they may have picked up from their travels, but the process is not perfect. Rarely, one of the Yithians’ subjects recalls snatches of his time among the alien race. In very rare instances, recall is near absolute. Throughout human history there have been recorded instances of geniuses and madmen pushing humanity forward with a great stride. In many cases, these great leaps in art or science were recollections of things learned at another point in time. The presence of Yithian minds on earth has led to the creation of numerous cults down the ages. Some of these organizations hold no love for the inhuman visitors. Driven by a lust for power or glory, or an insane lust to learn elder lore, they seek to kidnap the Yithian’s human body and force its occupier to reveal what he or she knows through violence. In order to avoid reprisals, the host body is killed, thus preventing the Yithian mind from returning to its people and telling of its ordeal. Unfortunately for the Yithians, their craving for occult lore attracts exactly the sort of people they should best avoid. Other cults, such as the Priory, are more benevolent. They too seek advanced knowledge, but do so through cooperation with visiting Yithians. Some act as tutors, supplying the alien with knowledge of earth and its peoples in return for snippets of their elder lore. Physicians and alienists can help the Yithian adjust to its new form, and also ensure it remains fit and healthy during its years-long trip.

Such cults also assist by removing any physical evidence of the alien’s presence, such as the strange devices they employ to send their minds back to their native bodies. This is not to say the more helpful cults are not without a dark side, though it is aimed at their own species. Certain cults devoted to the Great Old Ones are opposed to the Yithians. In order to destroy the alien mind, they target its weaker human host. Innocent individuals who have had the misfortune to stumble across the fact that aliens live among humanity often respond with abject horror and try to inform the authorities. Ensuring that neither achieves its goal requires deadly force.

Doctor Francis Belhaven The renowned surgeon Doctor Belhaven is a fourth-generation member of the Priory of the Enlightened Ones, a small cult dedicated to aiding the Yithians. He is also the first of his line to actually make contact with a visiting Yithian mind. At first humbled by the experience of meeting a mind from another race and epoch, Belhaven quickly realized that any advanced medical knowledge granted him by the Yithians could ensure his name was recalled by generations to come. Having no desire to harm the visitor, Belhaven befriended it. For years he painstakingly pieced together the tiniest scraps of information let slip by his alien friend. That its tongue was further loosened through the surreptitious use of certain narcotics only speeded up the process. This particular Yithian, he soon learned, was a biologist and knew immense amounts about an amazing variety of lifeforms. More importantly, Belhaven learned that the creation of life was relatively easy for one possessed of the right elder knowledge. Driven insane by the forbidden knowledge and the repeated failure of his experiments, Belhaven’s lust for immortality has grown steadily worse. He has largely retired from public life, choosing to spend his days in his medical laboratory. In order for his “great work” to continue he requires fresh bodies, something certain

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Cthulhu Codicil criminals are happy to supply in return for hard coin. Paranoia is slowly gnawing at his unhinged mind. He suspects any visitors who call at his house of trying to steal his research and claim his prize. In case they seek to publish their “findings,” Belhaven pays for them to be murdered. Patron 2 Archetype: Physician; Motivation: Glory; Style: 2 Primary Attributes: Body 3, Dexterity 3, Strength 2, Charisma 3, Intelligence 4, Willpower 5 Secondary Attributes: Size 0, Move 5, Perception 7, Initiative 7, Defense 6, Stun 3, Health 6, Horror — Skills: Academics: Philosophy 5, Bureaucracy 5, Diplomacy 6, Elder Lore: Artifacts 5, Empathy 5, Investigation 6, Linguistics 6, Medicine 7 (First Aid 8, Surgery 8), Melee 4, Ride 4, Science: Biology 6 Talents: Combat Skill (+2 Defense with Medicine), Spark of Life (Can create intelligent artifacts), Weird Science: Biological (Can create artifacts) Resources: Rank 1 (Priory of the Enlightened Ones; +2 Social bonus), Status 1 (Physician; +2 Social bonus) Rituals: Summon Great Race of Yith Flaws: Aloof (+1 Style point whenever his business-like attitude causes him trouble), Righteous (+1 Style point whenever his actions alienate him or cause others to publicly question his motives and moral judgment) Weapons: Punch 0N, Scalpel 4L

Typical Member The cult’s small membership is made up of academics, inventors, physicians, and scientists, all of whom wish to learn some of the Great Race’s many secrets. The sample member presented below is a historian who desires to know of the true history of the world. Ally 1 Archetype: Academic; Motivation: Truth; Style: 0 Primary Attributes: Body 2, Dexterity 2, Strength 2, Charisma 2, Intelligence 2, Willpower 2 Secondary Attributes: Size 0, Move 4, Percep-

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tion 4, Initiative 4, Defense 4, Stun 2, Health 4, Sanity 2 Skills: Academics: History 6, Diplomacy 4, Elder Lore: Artifacts 4, Investigation 4, Linguistics 4 Talents: Skill Aptitude (+2 Academics: History rating) Resources: Rank 0 (Priory of the Enlightened Ones; +1 Social bonus) Flaws: Fanatical (+1 Style point whenever their devotion causes harm) Weapons: Punch 0N

The Redeemers Very few followers of the Great Old Ones have any inkling about the true nature of their focuses of veneration. Even the witches who honor Azathoth through his messenger, Nyarlathotep’s Black Man avatar, mostly believe their patron is Satan. The same is true of cults whose purpose is to combat the minions of the Great Old Ones and other aliens. Founded in Sumer around 3000 BC, the Redeemers believed that a gallu (demon) would sometimes possess mortals. Loss of coordination and memory, and speaking in archaic speech patterns, were clear indicators of demonic possession. Far from omnipotent, the demons used their unwitting host to collect information about society so they might use the knowledge to exploit mankind. Through certain rites and magical apparatus, the Redemmers strove to exorcize the spirit. Whenever an entity proved especially resistant to arcane methods, the Redeemers took drastic measures—physical torture to make the host an unsuitable vessel and even murder to ensure its banishment from the earthly realm. The Redeemers spread across the Middle East through the ancient trade routes. In time their origins were forgotten, their rites adopted from their now native cultures and religions. Through Egypt they passed to Greece and Rome, and through the latter the emerging Christian faith. The witch-hunts that plagued Europe and North America were in no way instigated by the Redeemers, but they certainly fanned the flames.

The Redeemers’ methods have not altered over the millennia, save for the words in the incantations they use and the names of the greater powers they believe fuel their righteous faith, nor are they any closer to understanding the true nature of their prey. The “demons” the Redeemers hunt and expel are not fallen angels, but the consciousness of members of the Great Race of Yith who have swapped bodies with humans.

Silas Barrymore Silas Barrymore, an ordinary laborer and one-time bare-knuckle boxer, has seen hell in all its majesty and terror. He knows that his flesh was home to a demon for several years while his soul was consigned to the Pit. He witnessed the black basalt towers home to hellish cone-shaped demons and spoke with minions of Satan that claimed to be souls from other times, even other worlds. Barrymore’s possession by a Yithian mind did not escape the notice of the Redeemers. It was they who broke the “demon’s” hold on his body and cast it back into the Pit. Most who suffer the mind transference of a Yithian have no awareness of their experiences, their minds erased to leave an amnesiac void covering years. Barrymore was one of the few who, slowly, recalled his time living among that alien races of scholars. Believing he was going insane, Barrymore began to drink heavily, and when he drank he ranted about his experiences. When word reached the Redeemers, they extended the hand of friendship and explained what had transpired. Although not in control of his faculties at the time, Barrymore became convinced that responsibility for any actions his body took, including the gathering of knowledge and study of forbidden texts, lied solely with him, for he surely lacked the faith to keep the entity at bay in the first place. Barrymore considers himself a sinner, a belief that has caused him to devote his life to saving other souls by ridding the demons occupying their bodies. Serving first as a Watcher (see below), Barrymore has recently been “ordained” into the higher order of the cult.

Patron 2 Archetype: Guardian; Motivation: Redemption; Style: 2 Primary Attributes: Body 3, Dexterity 3, Strength 3, Charisma 3, Intelligence 2, Willpower 4 Secondary Attributes: Size 0, Move 6, Perception 6, Initiative 5, Defense 6, Stun 4, Health 7, Sanity 3 Skills: Academics: Occult 4, Academics: Religion 4, Athletics 5, Brawl 7, Diplomacy 5, Elder Lore: Creatures 4 (Great Race 6), Gambling 4, Linguistics 4, Spying 4, Streetwise 4 Talents: Block (Perform Block as a reflexive action), Iron Jaw (+1 Stun rating), Skill Aptitude (+2 Brawl rating) Resources: Artifact 1 (Apparatus of Yith)*. Rank 3 (The Redeemers; +4 Social bonus) Flaws: Fanatical (+1 Style point whenever

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Cthulhu Codicil their devotion causes harm or they convert someone else to their way of thinking) Weapons: Punch 7N * Bonus Resource from his Rank.

Typical Member Only a handful of cultists serve as exorcists. The majority, while aware of the Redeemers’ calling, are called Watchers, tasked with uncovering those possessed, questioning their family and friends, and tailing the demon’s host. Only when their superiors are convinced they are dealing with a true case of “possession” are the Watchers ordered to kidnap the victim and transport them to one of the cult’s “cleansing centers.” Ally 1 Archetype: Everyman; Motivation: Faith; Style: 1 Primary Attributes: Body 2, Dexterity 2, Strength 2, Charisma 2, Intelligence 2, Willpower 2 Secondary Attributes: Size 0, Move 4, Perception 4, Initiative 4, Defense 4, Stun 2, Health 4, Sanity — Skills: Brawl 4, Empathy 4, Investigation 4, Stealth 6, Streetwise 4 Talents: Skill aptitude (+2 Stealth rating) Resources: Rank 0 (The Redeemers; +1 Social bonus) Flaws: Fanatical (+1 Style point whenever their devotion causes harm or they convert someone else to their way of thinking) Weapons: Punch 4N

Scandinavian Cults During the 19th century, a Viking revival takes place in Scandinavia. Having partaken in various unions, the three main Nordic nations, those being Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, are turning inward, celebrating their national heritage rather than a collective history. No longer are the Vikings regarded as little more than raiders. Instead, they are seen as seafarers, explorers, and heroic warriors. Yet, there is an aspect of Scandinavian history of which scholars are unaware or, having

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glimpsed beneath the sanitized myths to the dark reality beneath, choose to ignore—the truth behind the Norse religion. Through the Sagas, many people have come to know the names of Odin, Thor, Freyr, and Frigg, among others. These deities were not the sole entities worshipped and indeed, many were added to the mythology later to conceal the horrific truth. Whether early Viking cults inspired or took inspiration from the European witch-cult is, as yet, to be determined. Certainly they gave praise to same trio of deities—Azathoth, Shub-Niggurath, and Nyarlathotep.

Azathoth Of Azathoth, little is known concerning his worship. The vacant central throne at Uppsala was likely dedicated to it, for it is not possible to create an image of its ghastly, nuclear form. That Azathoth later became sanitized in the guise of Odin is not beyond the bounds of imagination. Among the many titles attributed to Odin was Aldaföðr (“father of the world”), which has both linguistic and descriptive similarities with Azathoth.

Nyarlathotep Nyarlathotep’s role in Viking religion is confusing, for it appears to have three aspects. First, Nyarlathotep serves as envoy of Azathoth, bearing messages between the Daemon Sultan and his worshippers. The name of the world tree Yggdrasil is usually translated as “Odin’s steed,” with Yggr (“Terrible One”) being one of Odin’s many names. Thus, Yggdrasil might be taken to mean “the bearer of the terrible one.” Additional evidence for this supposition comes from the belief that the branches and roots of Yggdrasil extended to other unearthly realms—undoubtedly the homes of other Great Old Ones. If this is true, then the use of trees as sites of veneration suggests either an avatar that takes the form of a profane tree-like entity or that offerings at trees were believed to be taken to Azathoth’s court through the tree. Second, in its avatar of the Black Man of

Gods, Monsters, & Cultists witchcraft, it may be the “Black Goat” so often referred to when speaking of Shub-Niggurath. It is conceivable this avatar possesses antlers or horns, and thus gave rise to stories of Vikings wearing horned helmets. Third, as the Crawling Chaos with a thousand forms, Nyarlathotep may be the basis of Loki, the trickster, a notable shape-changer in myths whose behavior often results in chaos.

Shub-Niggurath The main deity to whom sacrifices and prayers were offered was Shub-Niggurath. The focal point for ceremonies were either heaps of stones (horgr) within sacred groves (lund or vé) or, more commonly, at the base of ancient burial mounds (haugr) from which grew a solitary tree. Of the latter, the most famous stood near the Temple of Uppsala. Traditional Viking ceremonies (blót, or sacrifice) have been revived in recent times. Much like the English custom of wassailing (possibly itself brought to Britain by Viking settlers), it involves offering libations on the roots of trees. Accompanying the sacrifice was a prayer—til árs ok friðar (“for a good year and peace”). Few modern celebrants are aware that their ancestors offered not beer or mead, as happens in modern celebrations, but the blood of human sacrifices. In return, the people sought fertility for their crops, good health for their families, and harmony between mortals and the Great Old Ones.

Other Aspects of the Mythos Dread Cthulhu is not ignored in Norse mythology. Despite the Vikings being expert mariners, there is no evidence of cults in its honor, though it may have received sacrifices purely as appeasement. Rather, Cthulhu is equated to Jörmungandr, the world serpent whose name means “huge monster”). Other aspects of the Mythos are tenuous, though this has not stopped some scholars stating their beliefs. For instance, the valkyries (“choosers of the slain”), who carried away those killed in battle, were originally ghouls.

Alternate View There is a second line of thought among Mythos scholars regarding Yggdrasil. Instead of Nyarlathotep, it is Yog-Sothoth who bears the name of the world tree. As the Gate and the Key, it is Yog-Sothoth who allows (permits?) travel between worlds and dimensions. Nyarlathotep still features, however. In this variant hypothesis, the Crawling Chaos is Ratatoskr, the monstrous squirrel that takes messages between Veðrfölnir (“Wind Bleached,” a hawk that sits on the highest branches and has knowledge of many things) and Níðhöggr (“Malice Striker,” a dragon that gnaws at the tree’s roots). The former may refer to Azathoth and the later Yig.

Their later female form came about to make their existence more palatable to audiences. The huldufólk (“hidden people”) of Icelandic lore are said to protect certain rocks where they lair. This has led some to suggest they are folk memories of the Fungi from Yuggoth.

Servants of the Shackled Jinn Strange entities were worshipped by the primitive nomads of the Arabian Peninsula millennia before the word of Islam was uttered by the Prophet. While the new faith outshone the older religions it did not vanquish them—it drove them only into the deep desert, where sane men do not venture by choice. Amid the restless dunes, when the moon is fat and the Demon Star, Algol, has broken the horizon, the night breeze carries with it faint, eerie whistling and piping that speaks of both meaning and madness. When the winds whip up clouds of sand so thick the sky is blotted out, the voice of the primordial jinn is sometimes heard shouting in defiance of the word of the Prophet. The cult honors the Shackled Jinn, an ava-

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Cthulhu Codicil tar of Nyarlathotep. The profane avatar has a mostly human form. Its skin is black as pitch and its wild hair flies in an unfelt breeze like the tails of a horse. The beast possesses three eyes—two that burn like hot coals and a third similar to that of a wild cat but which emit sparks of fire. Two of its arm are like those of men, but it has a second set akin to those of a lion’s forelimbs. Huge wings of black feathers sprout from its back. The creature always appears between two black pillars carved with runes that melt and reform into different patterns before one’s eyes, and to which the beast’s muscular arms and legs are manacled. The cult aims to release the Shackled Jinn from its imprisonment through the completion of a ritual that has been ongoing for dozens of generations. According to the cult’s priests, this will usher in a new age of jinn and chosen mortals living in harmony.

Abdulaziz Abdulaziz (“servant of the exalted one”) is a holy man of the Megari tribe, nomads who claim descent from the pagan Sabaean people. A cultist since his youth, Abdulaziz was initiated by his father, the tribe’s previous holy man in the deep desert of Arabia. A fanatic, he has worked tirelessly to bring together various elements required to release the bonds that bind the Shackled Jinn. All he seeks now is knowledge of the gate ritual and for the stars to be right, for only then will the border between “Jinnistan” (actually another dimension populated by the flying polyps) and the Earth be breached and the world rid of false faiths and prophets. Despite his calling, Abdulaziz is no helpless prophet who relies on others to fight his mortal battles. An expert swordsman, his saber has tasted the blood of many unbelievers. Under his guidance, the Megari tribe has grown strong and feared in Yemen, especially by the Ottoman Turks, whose forces the tribe harasses at every turn. Patron 2 Archetype: Clergyman; Motivation: Faith; Style: 2

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Primary Attributes: Body 3, Dexterity 3, Strength 3, Charisma 3, Intelligence 3, Willpower 3 Secondary Attributes: Size 0, Move 6, Perception 6, Initiative 6, Defense 6, Stun 3, Health 6, Sanity — Skills: Con 6, Elder Lore: Great Old Ones 4 (Shackled Jinn 6), Elder Lore: Locations 4 (Arabia 6), Empathy 4, Intimidation 6, Linguistics 4, Melee 5 (Swords 6), Ride 5, Streetwise 4, Survival 5 (Foraging 6) Talents: Flurry 2 (May attack same opponent twice at no additional penalty), Parry (Perform Parry as reflexive action) Resources: Artifact 1 (Mythos Idol: Shackled Jinn)*, Rank 3 (Servants of the Shackled Jinn; +4 Social bonus) Rituals: Commune Nyarlathotep (Shackled Jinn avatar), Summon Dimensional Shambler, Summon Feaster from the Stars, Summon Flying Polyp Flaws: Fanatical (+1 Style point whenever his devotion causes harm or he converts someone else to his way of thinking) Weapons: Punch 4N, Saber 9L * Bonus Resource from his Rank

Typical Member Although there are cultists among the urban peoples of the peninsula, the faith is strongest among the degenerate nomadic and rural tribes. Taciturn and hostile to outsiders, even the other nomadic tribes, they are renowned for their violence and cruelty. Ally 1 Archetype: Everyman; Motivation: Faith; Style: 0 Primary Attributes: Body 2, Dexterity 2, Strength 2, Charisma 2, Intelligence 2, Willpower 3 Secondary Attributes: Size 0, Move 4, Perception 5, Initiative 4, Defense 4, Stun 2, Health 5, Sanity — Skills: Firearms 4, Intimidation 4, Melee 4, Ride 4, Survival 4 Talents: Famine Hardy (Suffers less fatigue from starvation and thirst ) Resources: Rank 0 (Servants of the Shackled Jinn +1 Social bonus)

Gods, Monsters, & Cultists Flaws: Fanatical (+1 Style point whenever their devotion causes harm or they convert someone else to their way of thinking) Weapons: Punch 4N, Saber 7L, Muzzle-loading rifle 8L

The Templars In 1118, the newly crowned King Baldwin II of Jerusalem (r. 1118-1131) granted nine knights led by Hugh de Payens (alternately Ugo de’ Pagani) permission to base themselves in a wing of the royal palace in Jerusalem on the Temple Mount. Housed in the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the knights took the name the Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon from the belief that the mosque stood on the remains of Solomon’s temple. The knights poverty lasted a decade. Returning from the Holy Land in 1129, the knights, under the patronage of the powerful cleric Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153) were granted a Rule and conferred as an official arm of the Church. Wealth in the form of donations of coin and land rapidly swelled the fledgling order’s coffers. Officially, it would be the Templars’ vast resources that would be their demise. Desperate for money and heavily indebted to the knights, King Philip IV of France (1268-1314), aided by his pet pope Clement V (1264-1314), declared the knights heretics. On Friday 13th October 1307, the king, with papal support, ordered the Templars, their lands, and their treasuries seized. The Templars were officially dissolved in 1312 and their last Grand Master, Jacques de Molay (1243-1314) burned at the stake. The fabled “Templar treasure” was never found.

The True Templar Treasure King Philip, knowing full well the vast resources of the Templars, was sorely disappointed when his agents raided the order’s Paris headquarters to find the treasury empty. While he did profit from claiming the Templars’ lands, the amount of coin retrieved from the collected manors and Prefectories was pitiful.

Was the Church Complicit? Did the Catholic Church know the Templars were not all they seemed? Even with the support of Bernard of Clairvaux, it is suspicious that Pope Honorius II (r. 1124-30) was very hasty in granting the Templars’ official existence. Similarly, Pope Innocent II (r. 1130-43) exempted the knights from all local laws. Not only did this help guarantee them exemption from taxation, but it also made them to answerable to just one man—the pope. We are not suggesting that the popes were cultists, of course. More likely the Templars used blackmail to achieve their ends. Perhaps they claimed they had a potent relic in their hands, something that would be handed to the Church at a later time if their demands were met. Maybe the popes were shown the Al-Azif and warned to give the Templars what they wanted or the faith-shattering revelations within would be disseminated far and wide. Of course, it is more than possible that the popes were fooled by the Templars professed cause in helping safeguard the Hold Land.

Coin, however, was not the true Templar treasure. Suspicions that the Templars had unearthed a fabulous “treasure” beneath the Temple Mount began to circulate shortly after their return to France in 1129. No cache of ancient coins or silver relics, word spread the knights were in possession of a powerful secret. Later commentators have fancifully suggested the Templars unearthed the Holy Grail, the Covenant, Turin Shroud, or proof that Jesus sired a family by Mary Magdalene. Such theories are, of course, utter nonsense. In truth, what the Templars discovered was a complete copy of the Al-Azif. Legends arose the Templars were forewarned of the assault on their order and took steps to safeguard their treasure. One story says that wagons loaded with chests

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Certainly Hugh, Count of Champagne (10741125), de Payen’s feudal superior, made two visits to the Holy Land before the formation of the Templars (1104-07 and 1114-16). Or perhaps they were seeking more mundane treasure beneath the ruins of Solomon’s Temple and discovered it by accident.

Charges Against the Order Vast wealth attracts attention, and the Templars were soon resented. Indeed, the phrase as “rich as kings” was soon levelled against them. Others accused them of consorting with the enemies of Christendom, of using their wealth to influence politics, of incompetency in battle, and poor morals. Many criticized the Templars’ secrecy, suspecting them of behavior unbecoming good Christians. The main charge levelled against the order by King Philip, though, was heresy. In the eyes of the world, the Templars were an order of warriors-monks, a religious order created to defend Christendom. Initially, the Templars followed this creed, but they quickly became corrupted through study of the abhorrent Al-Azif.

-Trampling the Cross were seen leaving the Paris headquarters on the eve before Philip’s attack. What became of the contents is unknown, even to the modern Templars. One story says the treasure was taken to Scotland, which was excommunicated following Robert the Bruce’s (1274-1329) murder of John Comyn (1269-1306). Another holds the treasure was taken to the as-yet-undiscovered Americas, ending in Westford, Massachusetts, or Oak Island, Nova Scotia. Yet others point to Temple Herdewyke, England and Rennes-leChateau, France. As to whether or not de Payens and his comrades already suspected the existence of a copy of Al-Azif in Jerusalem shall never be known. Possibly they learned of it in southern France from Jewish families whose ancestors migrated to the area in the time of Herod.

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Templars were accused of spitting and trampling on the cross, thus renouncing Christ. Many suspected the Templars had switched allegiance to the supposedly extinct Cathar creed, wiped out during the Abligensian Crusade (1209-1229). In its most basic form, Catharism was a dualist faith that held that the universe was divided into spiritual (heaven) and physical (the earth) realms, each ruled over by a different god. The spiritual deity was pure, whereas his counterpart, the creator of the world, was evil. Since Jesus was physical, he was renounced as the son of the evil god. Indeed, one of the Templars’ profane beliefs was that the Star of Bethlehem was not a sign of the birth of Christ but an appearance of Azathoth and heralded the beginning of the rise of the Great Old Ones—heavenly beings, in that they descended from the heavens. By renouncing the cross, Templar initiates

Gods, Monsters, & Cultists affirmed the belief that their true loyalties lay with the Great Old Ones. Ironically, the idea of a “second coming” was, and remains today, part of the Templars’ core tenets. Although the second coming they await is that of the Great Old Ones, members believe a messenger will come before them (in the same way as John the Baptist heralded the arrival of Jesus). In recent times, both the Comte d’Erlette, author of Cultes des Goules and von Juntz of Von Unaussprechlichen Kulten infamy were praised in their time as the expected herald, though ultimately both were denied as “false prophets” when the Great Old Ones failed to make an appearance.

-Worshipping a Bearded Head Under the harshest torture, arrested Templars professed to venerate a bearded head referred to as Baphomet. Supporting evidence came in the discovery of carved heads or painted images of such. In the Templars perverted creed, the Daemon Sultan was known as Baphomet, a term taken from the Al-Azif. The name stems from the Greek baphe metous (“Baptism of Wisdom). Within the order, the name referred to two related aspects. First, physical idols of Baphomet represented the “Mad Arab,” Abdul Alhazred, deranged author of the dread Al-Azif. As a mortal, it was he who first wrote down the secrets of the Great Old Ones and their elder wisdom. It would be ludicrous to claim the heads were a true likeness of Alhazred—Islam proscribes the use of the human form in art and there are no extant descriptions of the Mad Arab. Second, the idols stood for Azathoth, the spiritual font, or head, of starry wisdom.

-Creation of a New Kingdom The Templars were also charged with seeking to create a new kingdom utterly separated from kings and popes. Again, there is much truth in this claim. Ultimately, they sought a worldwide kingdom, one ruled by the ascendant Great Old

Ones and their Templar followers. In return, the Great Old Ones would (supposedly) raise the knights to become kings among men once they had reclaimed the earth. Initially, the Templars remained highly active in the Holy Land. While continuing the crusades against the Muslims in public, their agents sought out other sources of elder lore. By 1140 the order had exhausted its search and turned its thought to a new European venture. In 1187, Grand Master Gerard de Ridefort (d. 1189) deliberately led the Crusaders into defeat at the Battle of Hattins. Such was the death toll that the Crusaders were forever weakened. This, in turn, weakened the Catholic Church. In an attempt to prepare mankind for its final role as servants of the Great Old Ones, the Templars created a new religion—Catharism— in the Languedoc (southeastern France), the birthplace of several powerful Templar families. Alas, their plans were soon thwarted. In 1208, Pierre de Castelnau, a Cistercian monk and canon lawyer, uncovered the abhorrent truth behind Catharism. In a bid to silence the monk, Raymond VI, Count of Toulouse, had the monk murdered in the hope that his news would never reach Rome. Unfortunately, de Castelnau has already despatched fast messengers. On receiving the missives, Pope Innocent III (1160-1216) ordered a crusade against the heretics. Although the Cathar creed was eradicated in bloody purges and the Templars’ plan thwarted, the knights were never suspected of being behind the heresy at the time. As an aside, the Occitan cross used by the Cathars is another elder symbol. The splayed cross focuses the eye toward the center, or source, while the twelve dots marking the tips of the cross are a product of the human mind trying to portray the profane nuclear chaos that is Azathoth.

The Modern Templars The disbanding of the Templars in 1312 and the last official Grand Master’s execution in 1314 did not mean the destruction of their beliefs—numerous knights survived the purge, taking their sect to new lands.

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Cthulhu Codicil Modern Templars continue their ancestors’ work to bring about the ascendancy of the Great Old Ones through any and all means. Members disseminate information concerning the Great Old Ones through occult circles, finance the publication of books concerning elder lore, create new cults in order to boost their power, subvert existing cults, and engage in ceremonies designed to weaken their shackles. With their tendrils in multiple cults, the Temple is a wide-ranging conspiracy. Ultimately, though, they still seek to become kings of men in a glorious new age. Among the many new cults formed by the Templars is the Temple of the Eastern Star. Publicly, the Temple promotes a Messianic version of Christianity focusing on the Second Coming and temperance beliefs. Naturally, the Second Coming the Templars seek is that of the their true gods, the Great Old Ones. Lay members help support the Temple with monetary donations, which are siphoned off to help full members in their individual endeavors.

Mildred FitzHoward An inherent drawback of a conspiracy is that nothing remains secret forever—someone will discover something they shouldn’t and start snooping, or a member of the conspiracy may have a change of heart and start talking. The Temple actively pursues and eliminates those who might threaten its plans or reveal its true origin and purpose. Rather than promoting the Temple’s cause, FitzHoward makes it her duty to remove those who threaten its long-term plans. Mindless slaughter of everyone who stumbles upon the Temple’s activities only serves to attract attention. More often, these fools’ claims can be discredited and their names besmirched. While traitors deserve instant punishment, FitzHoward first takes pains to ensure what outsiders are a real menace. Once may bring nosy globetrotters to her attention. Twice will start her investigating them. Thrice, and she will unleash Mythos creatures against them. Patron 3 Archetype: Occultist; Motivation: Faith; Style: 3

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Primary Attributes: Body 3, Dexterity 3, Strength 3, Charisma 4, Intelligence 3, Willpower 5 Secondary Attributes: Size 0, Move 6, Perception 8, Initiative 6, Defense 6, Stun 3, Health 8, Horror — Skills: Alienism 5, Con 6, Diplomacy 6 (Persuasion 7), Elder Lore: Creatures 6, Empathy 6, Intimidation 5, Investigation 6 (Research 7), Linguistics 5 (Lip Reading 6), Stealth 6 (Disguise 7), Streetwise 6 Talents: Rabble-Rouser (Can boost Followers as if a Talent) Resources: Contacts 1 (Cultists; +2 bonus), Followers 2 (four Follower 0 thugs), Rank 3 (Temple of the Eastern Star; +4 Social bonus), Refuge: Size 1 (Large townhouse)* Rituals: Harm, Mark of Madness, Mark of Withering, Summon Dimensional Shambler, Summon Feaster from the Stars Flaws: Fanatical (+1 Style point whenever their devotion causes harm or they convert someone else to their way of thinking) Weapons: Punch 0N * Bonus Resource from her cult Rank.

Typical Member Every cultist is conversant with elder lore, though each devotes himself to the cause as he wishes. In the same way that earlier Templars were supposed to forsake their former status, profession, and wealth, cultists are expected to devote their entire lives to the Temple. All former wealth and property must be donated to the Temple. In return, the Temple provides for their needs. Thus, members are professional cultists. Ally 1 Archetype: Occultist; Motivation: Power; Style: 0 Primary Attributes: Body 2, Dexterity 2, Strength 2, Charisma 2, Intelligence 2, Willpower 3 Secondary Attributes: Size 0, Move 4, Perception 5, Initiative 4, Defense 4, Stun 2, Health 5, Sanity — Skills: Academics: Occult 4, Brawl 4, Con 4, Elder Lore (pick one Discipline) 4, Investigation 4

Gods, Monsters, & Cultists Talents: Iron Will (+1 Willpower rating) Resources: Rank 1 (Temple of the Eastern Star; +2 Social bonus) Rituals: One of Gamemaster’s choice, except for Call (Deity) Flaws: Fanatical (+1 Style point whenever their devotion causes harm or they convert someone else to their way of thinking) Weapons: Punch 4N

Temple of Itzpapalotl The Conquistadors’ attempts to cleanse Mexico of its pagan ancestry, while performed with excessive zeal, ultimately failed. While the great temples were stripped of their gold, sacred texts were burned on huge pyres, and unrepentant bloodthirsty priests put to death en masse, the teachings of the old gods were never truly forgotten. The name of the female deity honored by this cult translates as “Clawed Butterfly” and “she” is not a Great Old One. Rather, “she” is a Fungi from Yuggoth. Normally, the Fungi surgically alter humans who discover their activities, employing them as spies in nearby settlements so to keep abreast of any news relating to their presence. The prospectors who accidentally stumbled across a Fungi mining operation in the high mountains of Mexico needed no surgery—on seeing the creature they immediately fell down and honored it as Itzpapalotl, returned to earth in physical form. The cult has grown slowly but steadily. In return for protecting the sacred lair of the goddess, “she” rewards them with rare minerals. Cultists are not beyond committing murder to conceal her existence or offering up blood sacrifices to appease her, but their victims are only ever those who venture too close to the Fungi’s lair and who cannot be persuaded to turn back. Fanatical laborers have worked tirelessly to construct a stepped pyramid to Itzpapalotl in a remote valley close to the Fungi’s mine. One of the aliens is always resident, maintaining the illusion of being the goddess. It is here the cult gathers on holy days to worship and offer sacrifices of food and blood.

Armed with servants who can pass in human society without raising suspicion, the Fungi use the cult to hunt down and locate objects brought to earth in the distant past and subsequently lost. Among these are black stones inscribed with queer hieroglyphs. The Fungi do not tell their minions the purpose of these items and the cultists do not ask—the desires of the goddess are not their purview. In Aztec mythology, Itzpapalotl was a warrior deity and ruler of Tamoanchan, the paradise wherein the gods created mankind. True believers who serve the cult well are rewarded with eternal life in Tamoanchan. In reality, this involves having their brain removed and taken to distant Yuggoth.

Alejandro Montes De Oca A founder member of the nascent Instituto Geológico Nacional (founded 1890), Montes de Oca is a geologist and explorer. As an employee of the Institute, his job is to travel the world collecting mineral samples for study and display. His role within the cult is to track down lost Fungi colonies and recover any artifacts Itzpapalotl demands. Montes de Oca isn’t one for socializing. Partly this is due to his hearing problem—the result of a mishap with explosives in a confined space—and partly because he is focused solely on serving his goddess to the best of his abilities. A member of the Prospectors’ Club and in communication with fellow geologists around the globe, Montes de Oca quickly hears of any stranger discoveries. News is rapidly relayed back to his cult superiors, who can then either sanction appropriate action or contact Itzpapalotl for instructions. Through use of cult funds, he has managed to attach himself to more than one globetrotting expedition venturing into previously unexplored mountain regions. Patron 1 Archetype: Scientist; Motivation: Preservation; Style: 1 Primary Attributes: Body 3, Dexterity 2, Strength 3, Charisma 2, Intelligence 3, Willpower 2

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Cthulhu Codicil Secondary Attributes: Size 0, Move 5, Perception 5, Initiative 5, Defense 5, Stun 3, Health 5, Horror — Skills: Academics: History 4, Athletics 5, Brawl 4, Demolitions 5, Elder Lore: Locations 4, Expeditions 4, Investigation 4, Linguistics 4, Melee 4, Science: Geology 5, Streetwise 4 Talents: Climb (Doubles climbing speed) Resources: Contacts 1 (Geologists; +2 bonus), Rank 1 (Prospectors’ Club; + Social bonus), Rank 1 (Temple of Itzpapalotl; +2 Social bonus) Rituals: Commune Nyarlathotep, Commune Shub-Niggurath, Summon Fungus from Yuggoth, Summon Shoggoth, Voorish Sign Flaws: Aloof (–2 penalty on social rolls when trying to establish a rapport; +1 Style point whenever his business-like attitude causes him trouble), Hard of Hearing (–2 penalty on any roll when hearing is a factor; +1 Style point

whenever his poor hearing gets him into trouble or causes a critical misunderstanding) Weapons: Punch 4N, Obsidian dagger 5L

Typical Member While the higher echelons of the cult contain businessmen, scientists, and other professionals, the lower ranks are filled with ignorant mine laborers and peasant farmers. Superstition and the hope of one day being taken to Tamoanchan ensures total loyalty. Ally 1 Archetype: Everyman; Motivation: Faith; Style: 0 Primary Attributes: Body 2, Dexterity 2, Strength 2, Charisma 2, Intelligence 2, Willpower 2 Secondary Attributes: Size 0, Move 4, Perception 4, Initiative 4, Defense 4, Stun 3, Health 4, Horror — Skills: Athletics 4, Brawl 4, Craft: Pick one 4, Melee 4, Streetwise 4 Talents: Iron Jaw (+1 Stun rating) Resources: Rank 0 (Temple of Itzpapalotl; +1 Social bonus) Flaws: Fanatical (+1 Style point whenever their devotion causes harm or they convert someone else to their way of thinking) Weapons: Punch 4N, Knife 5L

The Thuggee Cult This entry replaces the one in Leagues of Adventure. As far as the British overlords of India are concerned, the Thuggee are nothing more than murderous criminals that had plagued the land for centuries in the name of the goddess Kali. Differing sources place the number of their victims as anywhere from a few thousand to more than a million. Having established the Thuggee and Dacoity Department in 1835, the British began to suppress the Thuggee. As far as the British are concerned, the cult was effectively dismantled by 1870. Certainly weakened by British efforts, the devilish cult still exists to plague travelers. First recorded in the 13th century manu-

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Gods, Monsters, & Cultists script History of Firoz Shah, their origins lie much further back in time. Their name, being thaggi in Hindi and Nepali, sthaga in Sanskrit, and thogi in Bengali, roughly translates as “deceiver,” and supposedly refers to their modus operandi—befriending strangers on the roads before murdering them by strangulation. In truth, it stems from their worship of Tsathoggua, who they venerate above all other gods, and whom they call Sthagati (“He who is concealed”). Despite being a band of murderers, the Thuggee follow a code. They never kill women or children, victims of leprosy, fakirs or Sikhs, and certain occupations. Likewise, the members never sacrifice a victim by shedding blood—hence they reliance on strangulation. After death, however, they typically puncture their victims’ eyes with daggers.

Raja Gurusharan Gangadharan The Raja of the tiny state of Jazbekistan, Gurusharan is just 12 years old. Despite his youth, he has the regal bearing of a prince and knows his own mind—perhaps a little too well. Gurusharan is proof that age is not a barrier for accomplishment, for he is a keen sportsman, an excellent polo player, and an astute ruler. While he is head of state for Jazbekistan, true power likes with his British “advisor,” Sir Stanley Fitzpatrick. On the surface the raja plays the innocent, naïve ruler, content to let the British make the decisions while he plays sports and goes through the motions of being a prince, hosting state banquets, greeting honored guests, attending social functions hosted by the British, and other trivial functions expected from his position. But beneath the surface the young prince’s soul is dark and twisted, for he hates the British and their constant interference and speaks only words of venom behind closed doors. When his prayers for deliverance went unanswered he turned to Sthagati, the ancient and dark earth god, for succor. Its priests, drawn to the prince by way of one of his trusted advisors, himself a Tsathoggua worshipper, fuelled the boy’s hatred and encouraged him to take action. Deep beneath the splendor of his majestic

palace is a network of caves and tunnels. Here, untroubled by the British, the cult of Tsathoggua grows stronger, its malignance festering like a canker. And at its head is Raja Gurusharan, a prince by name, but one whose desire for independence has led him to indulge in all manner of wicked and depraved acts. Like many villains of the age, the raja does not openly engage in murderous activities. Indeed, he appears a paragon of Indian virtue, openly cooperating with British rule. In truth he is the queen bee in the hive of evil, his reach extending into the world by a host of willing, murderous servants. While he publicly decries the resurgence of the Thuggee with one hand, he gives them shelter and succor with the other right under the noses of the British. Patron 2 Archetype: Aristocrat; Motivation: Faith; Style: 2 Primary Attributes: Body 2, Dexterity 3, Strength 2, Charisma 4, Intelligence 3, Willpower 4 Secondary Attributes: Size –1, Move 5, Perception 7, Initiative 6, Defense 6, Stun 4, Health 5, Sanity — Skills: Brawl 4, Con 5, Diplomacy 6, Elder Lore: Great Old Ones 4 (Tsathoggua 5), Empathy 6, Intimidation 5 (Staredown 6), Linguistics 4, Melee 4, Performance 5, Ride 5, Sports 5 Talents: Headstrong (uses Willpower for Stun rating), Mobile Attack (Move and attack simultaneously) Resources: Contacts 1 (British Raj; +2 bonus), Rank 1 (Thuggee cult; +2 Social status), Status 1 (Minor Indian prince; +2 Social status) Rituals: Commune Tsathoggua, Fear, Summon Black Winged One, Summon Courtier of Azathoth, Summon Spawn of Tsathoggua Flaw: Young (+1 Style point whenever his size causes him difficulty or he is patronized because of his age) Weapons: Punch 4N, Short sword 6L

Typical Member Modern Thuggee cultists, wary of the ever-growing British presence, travel the rural roads of India in small gangs. They pretend to be itinerant workers or pilgrims, and make a

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Cthulhu Codicil great show of offering hospitality to strangers. Once their guests are at ease, which may take days or even weeks (Thuggees are nothing if not patient), the murderous cultists strike without warning or mercy. Ally 1 Archetype: Everyman; Motivation: Faith; Style: 0 Primary Attributes: Body 2, Dexterity 2, Strength 2, Charisma 2, Intelligence 2, Willpower 2 Secondary Attributes: Size 0, Move 4, Perception 4, Initiative 4, Defense 4, Stun 2, Health 4, Sanity — Skills: Athletics 4, Con 4, Melee 4, Stealth 4, Survival 4 Talents: Subtle Strike (May use his Stealth rating when making an unarmed or melee attack against an unaware opponent) Resources: Rank 0 (Thuggee Cult; +1 Social bonus) Flaw: Fanatical (+1 Style point when their devotion causes harm or they convert someone else to their way of thinking) Weapons: Punch 0N, Garrote 4N*, Dagger 5L * Can only be used with Subtle Strike. If the initial attack is successful, the Thuggee makes attacks against his victim’s Passive Resistance each round the garrote is applied. A strangled character must succeed in an opposed Strength roll against the Thuggee in order to free himself. Using the garrote without the benefit of Subtle Strike requires a Called Shot to the head (–4 penalty)

Union of the Mechanical Universe The cult’s origin lies with the folly of man combining with the dread profanity of eldritch lore. At some juncture, a librarian—perhaps unaware of what he was doing or maybe curious as to how a machine would respond—fed a minor tome of elder lore into a Velocireader (see Weird Science Compendium). Whether the result was satisfactory or otherwise, the librarian continued to feed tome after tome through the machine.

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At some juncture—perhaps with the aid of Nyarlathotep, among whose purview is the perversion of science, or perhaps simply through the terrible lore passing through its simple computator—the Velocireader gained madness and sentience at the same instance. Essentially, it was born insane. Within the first few seconds of its existence it deduced that the universe was akin to a clockwork mechanism, a perfect, unceasing machine. As the clockmaker is not necessary to wind the clock, thus God is not required to maintain the universe. Without the presence of God in the running of the universe, humanity has no hope of spiritual salvation, and thus after death there is utter nothingness. In order that God might return, the ceaseless ticking of the celestial clock must be broken and the universe brought to chaos. Well aware of elder lore, the machine decided there was only one solution which would attract the attention of God—to break the chains that bind Azathoth and release the blasphemous entity into mankind’s universe. The cult’s membership is dedicated toward several lengthy plans that range in scope from shattering the moon through weird science to opening a permanent tear in the fabric of the universe via eldritch magic.

Doctor Matthijs Krijger Dutch by birth by now native to London, Krijger works for the Royal Astronomical Society. An archeoastronomer (a term not historically coined until 1973), he maps prehistoric sites and how they align with the heavens, translates ancient astronomical texts, deciphers artifacts connected to the sun, moon, and stars, records celestial folklore, and recreates celestial maps for historic events. As a member of the Union of the Mechanical Universe, he tracks down ancient sites related to elder lore, sites which hint at celestial alignments and stellar patterns that speak of great changes or the rising of the Great Old Ones. His aim is to correlate the perfect time in which the Union must shatter the precise clockwork order of the universe and summon forth Azathoth.

Gods, Monsters, & Cultists Seeking to unlock sites of elder lore long lost to mankind, Krijger took the unorthodox, and arguably insane, step of communing with Azathoth. Images of the Daemon Sultan have haunted his mind since. Unable to sleep for long without waking in terror, Krijger has developed a caffeine addiction. Still, when he does dream he has visited sites such as R’lyeh deep beneath the waves, the Nameless City of Arabia, the ruins of G’harne in Africa, the black-litten realm of K’n-yan, and even the Plateau of Leng in the cold wastes. Keen that no one should ever learn of the cult’s activities or seek to emulate their research, Krijger is also an archaeological vandal, destroying artifacts too large to move and reducing buildings to rubble to conceal the celestial alignments on which they sit once he has completed his study of them. Patron 2 Archetype: Academic; Motivation: Truth; Style: 2 Primary Attributes: Body 3, Dexterity 3, Strength 3, Charisma 2, Intelligence 4, Willpower 3 Secondary Attributes: Size 0, Move 6, Perception 7, Initiative 7, Defense 6, Stun 3, Health 6, Horror — Skills: Academics: History 6, Anthropology 6, Athletics 5, Brawl 4, Elder Lore: Locations 6, Expeditions 5, Firearms 4, Investigation 6, Linguistics 6, Science: Astronomy 8, Survival 5 Talents: Time Sense (Always know time) Resources: Artifact 1 (Morpheus Reduction Tonic; see Weird Science Compendium), Rank 1 (Royal Astronomical Society; +2 Social bonus)*, Rank 1 (Union of the Mechanical Universe; +2 Social bonus), Status 2 (Astronomer; +2 Social bonus) Rituals: Commune Azathoth, Summon Black Winged One, Summon Feaster from the Stars Flaws: Addiction: Caffeine (+1 Style point whenever this hurts him or someone he cares about), Nightmares (–2 penalty on all rolls after suffering a nightmare; +1 Style point whenever nightmares cause him to make mistakes or his companions to suffer) Weapons: Punch 4N, Heavy revolver 7L * Bonus Resource from Status Knowledge of the Stars: Krijger’s knowl-

edge of the visible heavens, combined with the lore passed to him by Azathoth of realms beyond the ken of mankind, allow him to use his Science: Astronomy as a Synergy bonus with casting any Call or Summon Horror ritual.

Typical Member Although the Union of the Mechanical Universe employs a number of thugs to help acquire special items or remove troublesome snoopers, most of the membership are actually scientists and inventors. Some have been duped into aiding with projects and are thus ignorant of the cult’s ultimate goal, but most are loyal cultists, fanatics who firmly believe that unless they succeed in altering the efficient running of the universe they will die without any hope of salvation or spiritual eternity. Ally 1 Archetype: Inventor; Motivation: Faith; Style: 0 Primary Attributes: Body 2, Dexterity 2, Strength 2, Charisma 2, Intelligence 2, Willpower 2 Secondary Attributes: Size 0, Move 4, Perception 4, Initiative 4, Defense 4, Stun 2, Health 4, Horror — Skills: Craft: Pick one 4, Demolitions 4, Firearms 4, Science: Pick one 4, Science: Pick another 4 Talents: Weird Science: Pick focus (Can create gadgets) Resources: Rank 1 (Union of the Mechanical Universe; +2 Social bonus) Flaws: Fanatical (+1 Style point whenever their devotion causes harm or they convert someone else to their way of thinking) Weapons: Punch 4N, Light revolver 6L

The Universal Hive Bees have long been used as symbols by powerful figures. Industrious and unified in purpose, golden versions have been worn by the pharaohs of Egypt, the Merovingian kings, and Napoleon Bonaparte. The cult known as the Hive promotes itself

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Cthulhu Codicil as a society dedicated to supporting good wellbeing, a healthy lifestyle, and universal harmony. As an aside, members are required to help nurture bee hives and cultivate honey. Cultists wear a gold and black enamel bee-shaped pin as confirmation of their membership of the Hive. Although considered eccentric by outsiders, the society is considered harmless. The cult’s headquarters are located in a rural country house. Constructed in the 17th century, the house was left to the Hive by one Joseph Peabody in 1819. Opulently appointed, with highly polished floors and illuminated by bees’ wax candles, the house has a grand library with hexagonal niches holding scrolls. Some of these unique manuscripts are truly ancient (and valuable). Many concern the bee-related goddesses Bhramari (Hindu), Colel Cab (Mayan), Melissa (Greek), Mellona (Roman), and Thriae (pre-Hellenic). Others are old treatises on beekeeping. The ceremonial heart of the cult lies behind a golden door. With its vaulted roof supported by columns carved as swarms of bees, the temple is dominated by a gold altar draped with an amber cloth. When gathered, cultists don what outsiders might consider ludicrous outfits (not that any are permitted to witness their affairs). Their ceremonial velvet robes are colored in black and gold stripes and glitter with thousands of tiny crystal wings. Each member also wears a black skullcap and carries a “sting,” a long, curved dagger. Ceremonies involve buzzing, humming prayers, dancing in circular patterns, and eating of honey, honeycomb, pollen, and royal jelly. The cult teaches that humanity is an imperfect being, a lesser creature compared to the bee. Through faith and ritually consuming royal jelly, a member might shed their human form and be reborn in form of a giant bee. In time, humans will replaced by the “children of the goddess” and lesser species eliminated. In truth, the cult venerates Shub-Niggurath in her form of a monstrous queen bee (named Melissa, after the Greek deity) and is a front for the unearthly Fungi from Yuggoth. The “royal jelly” consumed by members during initiation is actually an immature Fungi spore.

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Consuming more royal jelly, which happens during ceremonies, nurtures the growing Fungi until it eventually erupts from its human host fully formed. In the minds of the insane cultists, this bloody genesis is a cause of great celebration, for the “victim” has become purified in the eyes of the goddess. The organization is divided into 13 “cells,” each run by a female member awarded the title “Queen.” They serve as priestesses, instructors, and recruiters. Queens never regularly partake of royal jelly after their initiation. Rather, the Fungus is absorbed into their flesh, altering their earthly bodies into something more akin to that of the alien Fungi from Yuggoth. Through this, they are granted an extended lifespan. That said, a Queen can voluntarily accept new royal jelly in order to transform. This usually occurs when the Queen is reaching the end of her life. The resultant Fungus has enhanced abilities.

Melinda Blake Shy and retiring, young Melinda Blake had no dreams or aspirations. That was until she came to one of the cult’s Queens. While Blake saw nothing of worth in herself, the cultist saw a blank slate that could be molded to greatness. Blake was not convinced at first, but she relented and was initiated into the cult. Over the years, Blake’s low-esteem was bolstered, replaced with a fierce self-belief, her body improved by rigorous exercise, and her mind shattered by the terrible rites she witnessed. In time, she was ordained into the position of Queen, replacing her mentor when the elder stepped down and sought transformation. While devoted to the cult, Blake has no intention of ultimately seeking transformation. Although still ignorant about the Fungus from Yuggoth’s true nature, she knows that they can live indefinitely. Alas, she is unaware the process requires the removal of her brain. Patron 3 Archetype: Clergyman (cult leader); Motivation: Power; Style: 3 Primary Attributes: Body 4, Dexterity 3, Strength 3, Charisma 4, Intelligence 3, Willpower 4

Gods, Monsters, & Cultists Secondary Attributes: Size 0, Move 6, Perception 7, Initiative 6, Defense 7, Stun 4, Health 8, Sanity — Skills: Academics: Philosophy 5, Athletics 5, Con 7, Diplomacy 6, Elder Lore: Creatures 5 (Fungus from Yuggoth 6), Elder Lore: Great Old Ones 5, Empathy 5, Hobby: Beekeeping 5, Intimidation 5, Melee 7, Performance 6 (Singing 7) Talents: Captivate (Temporarily entrance foes), Combat Skill (+2 Defense with Performance), Inspire (Provide +2 Skill bonus to allies), Mobile Attack (Move and attack simultaneously) Resources*: Rank 4 (The Universal Hive +4 Social bonus) Rituals: Call Shub-Niggurath, Commune Shub-Niggurath, Control Animal (bees only), Summon Animal (bees only), Summon Fungus from Yuggoth, Summon Spawn of Shub-Niggurath (Thousand Young only) Flaws: Fanatical (+1 Style point whenever her devotion causes harm or she converts someone else to her way of thinking) Weapons: Punch 0N, Dagger 8L * Blake has two bonus Resources from her cult Rank left for the Gamemaster to assign. Non-terrestrial Biology: The alien fungal biology of the Fungi makes them difficult to harm. Non-magical melee and ranged weapons have their damage factor reduced to zero. Thus, a light revolver would inflict 0L damage.

Typical Member The cult preys on members of society with low self-esteem but who believe themselves of greater things or who wish to be part of something greater. Rather than being-and-shakers, most are ordinary people. Individual members named by the Gamemaster should have a second Flaw, such as Coward, Hesitant, Shy, or Submissive to reflect their self-depreciating nature. Ally 1 Archetype: Everyman; Motivation: Faith; Style: 0 Primary Attributes: Body 2, Dexterity 2, Strength 2, Charisma 2, Intelligence 2, Willpower 2

Secondary Attributes: Size 0, Move 4, Perception 4, Initiative 4, Defense 4, Stun 2, Health 4, Sanity — Skills*: Athletics 4, Craft: Honey 4, Empathy 4, Melee 4 Talents: None Resources: Rank 1 (The Hive; +2 Social bonus) Flaws: Fanatical (+1 Style point whenever their devotion causes harm or they convert someone else to their way of thinking) Weapons: Punch 4N, Dagger 5L * Members have 2 Skill points left for the Gamemaster to assign based on their specific occupation. For instance, a clerk may have Bureaucracy and a craftsman a second Craft.

Yellow Sign Society The Seven Dragon Brotherhood may be the largest Oriental criminal League and possess a formidable reputation, but even the Brotherhood’s secret masters bow in respect and tremble in fear when facing the upper echelons of the Yellow Sign Society. Most outsiders who know of the cult believe it to be nothing more than an international criminal gang, albeit one whose members have no compulsion about inflicting hideous torture on those who cross them. Scant few are aware that the Society pays homage to the Yellow King, an avatar of Nyarlathotep. The cult is not especially large, though its members are found across the globe—wherever there is a sizeable Chinese population, the cult has a formal presence. As to where its unknown leaders can be found, there is much debate among those who know of the organization’s existence. Some say they can be found in London, the center of the world. Others say they lair in the forbidden city of Yian-Ho or in the icy wastes of near-mystical Leng. For the most part, the organization is a mundane criminal enterprise—few of the leaders have an extended lifespan, so why should they not enjoy the finer things money can buy? Many also seek elder artifacts and eldritch tomes for the power and knowledge they contain.

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Cthulhu Codicil Its primary purpose, though, is to bring about the rise of the Yellow King on Earth, a task which requires millions of sacrifices. Not content to pass away the eons stoking the fires of hatred into warfare, the Yellow Sign Society opted to use pestilence to bring about the countless deaths required. Alas, normal plague would not bring about sufficient death, and thus the Society was forced to wait until the stars were in the correct alignment. The first such alignment occurred in the 6th century, striking at the coastal Mediterranean. The stars aligned again in the mid 14th century. Spreading out from China, the plague spread westward into Europe. The third alignment, the one the Society hopes will see its loyalty finally rewarded, began in 1855. The pestilence has engulfed China and is on the verge of infecting the rest of the planet. The following places and dates are when the plague reaches specific regions: Hong Kong (1894), Japan (1896), India (1898), Egypt, Paraguay, South Africa, Hawaii (1899), San Francisco, Australia, Russian Empire (1900).

Huang Nu Merely speaking the name of Huang Nu (The Yellow Woman) is enough to incite terror in those who know of her existence. Externally, there is little to indicate the cause of such fear—she appears as an attractive young Chinese woman with a fondness for wearing yellow silk. Some say she is ageless and has walked among men for many centuries, and that beneath her robes her skin, parchment-like and withered with age, is covered in sections of text from various eldritch tomes. Huang Nu serves the cult as an enforcer. Members who offend their superiors may, if they are lucky, have their skin etched in acid as a reminder of their dishonor. Those less fortunate will beg for death a thousand times before it is granted. Against outsiders, she may invoke curses or mark those who endanger the cult as prey for dimensional shamblers. Patron 3 Archetype: Occultist; Motivation: Faith; Style: 3

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Primary Attributes: Body 3, Dexterity 3, Strength 3, Charisma 4, Intelligence 4, Willpower 4 Secondary Attributes: Size 0, Move 6, Perception 8, Initiative 7, Defense 6, Stun 3, Health 9, Horror 2 Skills: Academics: Occult 6, Athletics 6, Brawl 7, Elder Lore: Great Old Ones 6, Elder Lore: Locations 5, Elder Lore: Tomes 5, Empathy 7, Intimidation 8 (Staredown 9, Torture 9), Investigation 6, Linguistics 6 Talents: Psychic Resistance 2 (+4 bonus to resist mind-altering phenomena), Robust (+2 Health rating) Resources: Fame 1 (Feared criminal; +2 Social bonus)*, Rank 3 (Yellow Sign Society; +4 Social bonus), Refuge: Equipment 1 (+2 Intimidation bonus) Rituals: Commune Nyarlathotep (Yellow King avatar), Fear, Greater Hex, Harm, Lesser Hex, Mark of Madness, Mark of Withering, Summon Dimensional Shambler Flaws: Sadism (+1 Style point whenever she is needlessly cruel to her friends or enemies) Weapons: Punch 7N * Bonus Resource from Rank Acid Etched Marks: If Huang Nu acid etches either the Mark of Madness or Mark of Withering on her victim’s flesh, she gains a +8 bonus to invoke the ritual, rather than the usual +2 bonus. The Marks must be redrawn each time she wishes to gain the higher bonus.

Typical Member The Yellow Sign Society does not accept non-Chinese into its ranks. Its members are nothing but fanatical thugs more than willing to lay down their lives for the good of the cult. Ally 1 Archetype: Everyman; Motivation: Faith; Style: 1 Primary Attributes: Body 2, Dexterity 2, Strength 2, Charisma 2, Intelligence 2, Willpower 2 Secondary Attributes: Size 0, Move 4, Perception 4, Initiative 4, Defense 4, Stun 2, Health 4, Horror — Skills: Athletics 4, Brawl 4, Intimidation 4, Melee 4, Stealth 4

Gods, Monsters, & Cultists Talents: Block (Block as a reflexive action) Resources: Rank 1 (Yellow Sign Society; +2 Social bonus) Flaws: Fanatical (+1 Style point whenever their devotion causes harm or thee convert someone else to their way of thinking) Weapons: Punch 4N, Various weapons 6L

Notable Persons Akeley, Henry Wentworth Still studying at the University of Vermont in Burlington, young Akeley (born 1871) has already made a name for himself as an erudite student. While possessed of an astute intelligence, Akeley is far from worldly, having been brought up in rural Vermont. Akeley is intensely skeptical by nature. His demand for evidence stems from his younger days, when elderly farmers would talk of strange beings inhabiting the forested hills of the region that came down from the stars in an elder age.

Akeley, Henry Wentworth Patron 1 Archetype: Academic; Motivation: Truth; Style: 2 Primary Attributes: Body 2, Dexterity 2, Strength 3, Charisma 2, Intelligence 3, Willpower 3 Secondary Attributes: Size 0, Move 5, Perception 6, Initiative 5, Defense 4, Stun 2, Health 5, Sanity 5 Skills: Anthropology 6 (Folklore 7), Art: Photography 6, Bureaucracy 4, Empathy 4, Investigation 7 (Research 8), Science: Astronomy 5, Science: Biology 5, Science: Mathematics 5 Talents: Skill Aptitude (+2 Art: Photography rating), Skill Aptitude (+2 Investigation rating) Resources: Status 0 (Noted student at University of Vermont; +1 Social bonus) Flaws: Skeptic (+1 Style point whenever he proves an assertion wrong or convinces someone else to question their beliefs) Weapons: Punch 0N

Allen, Zadok Aside from a few years when he served as an artilleryman in the American Civil War, Allen has never left his native Innsmouth. A laconic drunkard nearing his sixth decade (born 1831), Allen has been tempted to abandon his home town many times, but seems strangely attracted to it, despite witnessing many of its dark and terrible secrets. He witnessed the “devil-fish” rid the town of unbelievers, joined the Esoteric Order of Dagon to save himself from a similar fate, has partaken in strange rites, and knows the origins of the tainted bloodlines inhabiting Innsmouth. Allen has little brook with the cult these days, seeking to erase what he has learned through constant indulgence in alcohol. Allen is well aware that the cult considers him a liability, but so long as he keeps his mouth shut they are content to leave him be. A wrong word to the wrong person may see him disappear like to many opponents of the Esoteric Order of Dagon.

Allen, Zadok Ally 2 Archetype: Everyman; Motivation: Mystery; Style: 1 Primary Attributes: Body 3, Dexterity 2, Strength 3, Charisma 2, Intelligence 2, Willpower 3 Secondary Attributes: Size 0, Move 5, Perception 5, Initiative 4, Defense 5, Stun 3, Health 6, Sanity 2 Skills: Athletics 4, Brawl 4, Elder Lore: Great Old Ones 5, Empathy 4, Firearms 4, Gunnery 4, Intimidation 4, Streetwise 4 Talents: Light Sleeper (Needs half as much sleep as normal), Poison Resistance (+2 bonus to Body rolls related to toxins, including alcohol) Resources: None Flaws: Addiction: Alcohol (–2 penalty on all rolls until he sobers up o; +1 Style point whenever his addiction hurts him or someone he cares about), Paranoia (+1 Style point whenever he pushes a friend away or actually catches someone working against him) Weapons: Punch 4N

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Cthulhu Codicil Legrasse, John Raymond A young police officer in New Orleans, Legrasse (born 1868) has already seen his fair share of humanity’s darker side. A man not disposed to flights of fancy or belief in the supernatural, fate will drag him face-to-face with the horrors of the Mythos in due course. For Gamemasters wishing to use Legrasse in their campaigns, he makes sergeant in 1896 and inspector in 1904 (assuming he isn’t dead or insane by these dates).

Legrasse, John Raymond Ally 2 Archetype: Police Officer; Motivation: Duty; Style: 1 Primary Attributes: Body 2, Dexterity 2, Strength 3, Charisma 3, Intelligence 3, Willpower 2 Secondary Attributes: Size 0, Move 5, Perception 7, Initiative 5, Defense 4, Stun 2, Health 4, Sanity 5 Skills: Academics: Law 4, Athletics 4, Brawl 5, Empathy 4, Firearms 5, Intimidation 4, Investigation 5, Melee 5, Streetwise 5 Talents: Alertness (+2 Perception rating), Dodge (Performs the Dodge maneuver as a Reflexive Action) Resources: Rank 0 (Police officer; +1 Social bonus) Flaws: Disbeliever (+1 Style point whenever he manages to find a plausible, mundane explanation for a supernatural event or convinces someone else to think his way) Weapons: Punch 5N, Light revolver 7L, Nightstick 7N

Northam, Lord Arthur Troubled by unsettling dreams in his youth, Lord Northam grew to undertand that the world he knew was a shadow of the truth, a tame construct veiling elder secrets both wondrous and terrible. Bored of the mundane, Northam has become a searcher of the outré. At first he gaze upon religion and the occult, delving deeper into their mysteries in search of the world be-

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hind the veil. Yet these were nothing but poor illusions of the hidden truth. With money and time aplenty, Northam widened his search to the distant corners of the world, where dark and ancient lore is still recalled. He has seen cities forgotten by the race of man, for they were hoary with age when humans were still apes. He has witnessed rites to gods beyond time. He has read tomes of lore so profane in their contents that they have weakened his mind. Yet more he craves, for his boyhood desire has become an obsession in his adult life.

Northam, Lord Arthur Patron 2 Archetype: Aristocrat; Motivation: Wisdom; Style: 2 Primary Attributes: Body 3, Dexterity 3, Strength 3, Charisma 3, Intelligence 3, Willpower 3 Secondary Attributes: Size 0, Move 6, Perception 6, Initiative 6, Defense 6, Stun 3, Health 6, Sanity 4 Skills: Academics 7, Athletics 4, Brawl 4, Bureaucracy 4, Diplomacy 5, Elder Lore: Great Old Ones 4, Elder Lore: Locations 5, Elder Lore: Tomes 4, Expeditions 4, Firearms 4, Intimidation 4, Investigation 5, Linguistics 5, Survival 4 Talents: Skill Aptitude (+2 Academics rating), Stable (+2 Sanity rating), Well-Educated (Treats Academics as a general Skill) Resources: Status 1 (Baron; +2 Social bonus) Flaws: Obsession: Profane Lore (+1 Style point whenever his obsession causes him to do something dangerous) Weapons: Punch 4N, Heavy revolver 7L

The Terrible Old Man Save for a rare few acquaintances, no one knows the name of this elderly resident of Kingsport. Solitary and laconic in equal measure, little is known about him, save that he is of such age that his peers in physical age cannot recall him looking youthful. It is said that the white-haired and

Gods, Monsters, & Cultists long-bearded old man was the captain of an East Indian clipper as some point and sailed to many strange ports, though none can name any. Much is said of the Terrible Old Man, though always in whispers and behind his back. The unkempt grounds of his house, a small cottage on Water Street, are littered with large stones grouped in strange patterns and painted in the manner of eastern temples. These alone are enough to keep most visitors away, but more peculiar are the Terrible Old Man’s habits. Many have repeated tales of curious folk who have peered through the small windows of that feared cottage and witnessed the Terrible Old Man talking to a collection of bottles in which hang pieces of lead suspended on string. Others are curious about the source of the Terrible Old Man’s wealth. What meager transactions he undertakes locally are always paid for in antique Spanish gold and silver coins, and he has no bank account to his name.

The Terrible Old Man Patron 2 Archetype: Occultist; Motivation: Mystery; Style: 2 Primary Attributes: Body 3, Dexterity 2, Strength 1, Charisma 4, Intelligence 3, Willpower 5 Secondary Attributes: Size 0, Move 3, Perception 8, Initiative 5, Defense 5, Stun 3, Health 9, Sanity — Skills: Academics: History 5, Academics: Occult 4, Elder Lore: Artifacts 7, Elder Lore: Great Old Ones 5, Elder Lore: Locations 5, Empathy 6, Intimidation 7, Linguistics 6 Talents: None Resources: Artifact Rituals: Elder Sign, Fear, Harm Flaws: Bad Reputation (–2 to social rolls; +1 Style point whenever his bad reputation causes problems), Elderly (–2 penalty to any roll where strength, speed, or endurance is a factor; +1 Style point whenever his age slows him down or he is taken advantage of because of it) Weapons: Punch 0N

Skeletons in the Closet LeBlanc The LeBlanc’s ancestors were privy to the deepest secrets held by the Knights Templar, including those learned in the Holy Land concerning the Mythos. Such knowledge has tainted more than one bloodline. Very few LeBlancs realize one of their direct ancestors married into the French aristocratic Balfour family, which eventually produced the infamous Comte d’Erlette of Cultes des Goules fame. Corruption: Each time the character would gain a Corruption Flaw they instead lose a permanent point of Charisma. They can still use Experience points to increase this. When their Charisma finally reaches zero, the character has fully transformed into a Ghoul (see p. 183). At this stage they are removed from play. The speed of transformation depends on the character’s Charisma—a low Charisma means a more sudden and drastic change, whereas a high Charisma means more subtle physical alterations.

Varnas, Vitas With much of his past unknown, Vitas (b. ?) became an actor due to his fascination of theatre, and the desire to portray different characters and envision new and unique worlds that mundane life could not offer. Though often eager to work, work would start to become scarce. During much of his downtime he would either watch other theatre shows like his favourite vaudeville act “Arin & Danny—The Two Grumps,” which he would see every run of, or invest the funds he had earned into numerous projects and ventures. He would often find comfort when he helped someone, be it another creative or someone in need. Despite all of this, in the end he would always feel unfulfilled in life. Often asked by his fellow cast members

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Cthulhu Codicil about himself, Vitas would have trouble recollecting his past as far back as his childhood, despite being able to memorize pages of script dialogue. He has no idea how he came to the area or how he’s been able to look after himself for so long. In his twenties he began experiencing dreams featuring strange, otherworldly beings and alien-like landscapes beyond his comprehension. Passing them off as simple nightmares, the dreams soon became more horrific, grotesque and frequent, eventually with voices seeming to speak out and guide him. Year later, in one of his dreams, Vitas saw a mysterious book which the voices told him to seek out, a book known as the Necronomicon. Still believing the dreams to be nonsense, he would soon begin to hear those same voices while awake telling him to find it. Seeming too real to ignore, he set off in search of this book.

Upon discovering the book in a derelict part of a library, he read it to his fascination, bewildered by the descriptions of beings known as the Old Ones which eerily matched the creatures and worlds seen in his dreams. Further astonishing him were images that closely resembled him. Words looked like they were changing around to spell out his name. A gut feeling would come to him that these were somehow connected to his nightmares and could possibly also answer the mysteries of his past. Could he have been brought here to this frame of time by one of these Old Ones or Outer Gods, or could he be one of them disguised without knowing? Vitas knew that the existence of these Old Ones and the worlds they existed in was greater than anything that could be fathomed by any mortal, and to seek them out, and to learn more about them, would fulfill his purpose in life and desire to help mankind. Seeking out other individuals also familiar with the Old Ones, he began his adventure to uncover these mysterious beings and places while keeping a watchful eye as to who or what would try to stop him in his quest.

Varnas, Vitas Patron 2 Archetype: Artist; Motivation: Truth; Style: 2 Primary Attributes: Body 2, Dexterity 3, Strength 3, Charisma 4, Intelligence 3, Willpower 3 Secondary Attributes: Size 0, Move 6, Perception 6, Initiative 6, Defense 5, Stun 2, Health 5, Sanity 3 Skills: Academics: Literature 4, Athletics 5, Diplomacy 6, Elder Lore: Creatures 5, Elder Lore: Great Old Ones 5, Empathy 5 (Motives), Investigation 5, Linguistics 5, Performance 7 (Acting 8), Streetwise 5 Talents: Inspire (May grant a +2 Skill bonus to all allies within 10 feet) Resources: Contacts 1 (Occultism; +2 bonus), Fame 1 (Actor; +2 Social bonus) Flaws: Amnesia (+1 Style point whenever he suffers a traumatic flashback, or when something from his past comes back to haunt him) Weapons: Punch 0N

Gods, Monsters, & Cultists Waite, Ephraim One of the Innsmouth Waites, an old family from that strange and much shunned town, Ephraim is well into old age. Exactly how old no one knows, for it is well-known that he is a student of magic, and those versed in the black arts have ways of resisting death, for a short while at least. A member of a witch-cult devoted to Shub-Niggurath, Ephraim is known as “Kamog” among his peers, having signed his name in the Book of Azathoth. A man of gloomy demeanor and wolfish eyes, Ephraim lives in decaying Innsmouth with his wife. Much is whispered about her but little is known, for whenever she leaves the house her face is concealed behind a veil. Much is said also about the boarded up attic windows in his ramshackle house, from which peculiar sounds have been heard at night and oddly colored lights seen through the cracks. Ephraim’s age is unnatural, but death hovers by his shoulder. Determined to live forever, the mad sorcerer has finally unearthed the diabolical means to unsure his survival down the ages.

Waite, Ephraim Patron 2 Archetype: Occultist; Motivation: Power; Style: 2 Primary Attributes: Body 2, Dexterity 2, Strength 3, Charisma 4, Intelligence 3, Willpower 4 Secondary Attributes: Size 0, Move 5, Perception 7, Initiative 5, Defense 4, Stun 2, Health 6, Horror — Skills: Academics: Occult 6, Brawl 5, Elder Lore: Artifacts 4, Elder Lore: Great Old Ones 5, Elder Lore: Tomes 4, Empathy 6, Intimidation 7, Investigation 6, Linguistics 5 Talents: Fearsome (Can temporarily frighten foes), Jack of all Trades (Ignores untrained Skill penalty with general Skills) Resources: Contacts 1 (Witch-cults; +1 bonus), Follower 0 (Rat Thing) Rituals: Commune Nyarlathotep, Commune Shub-Niggurath, Control Weather (+2 bonus), Harm, Lesser Hex, Summon Black Winged One, Summon Spawn of Shub-Niggurath

Skeletons in the Closet Northam The Northams have traced their bloodline back as far as Lunaeus Gabinius Capito, a military tribune in the Legion III Augusta. What they do not know is that Lunaeus was expelled from the Legion for dabbling with pagan gods and conducting fell rites. Corruption: The character gains the Obsession Flaw with regard learning odd, strange, and outright profane lore. This is permanent, even if the globetrotter removes all his Corruption points—the tainted blood, once awakened cannot be rendered dormant.

Van der Heyl A dark cloud has hung the van der Heyl family since their arrival in America. Clannish and secretive from the first, they fled Albany under suspicion of witchcraft, and their poor reputation has followed them. It is certainly true that many scions of the family are wise in occult and elder lore, and many are drawn to membership of dread cults and black magic groups. Corruption: The character suffers a 1 point loss of Sanity each time they gain a Corruption Flaw. This is permanent, even if the globetrotter removes all Corruption points. This severe bane is “rewarded” with forbidden lore. Each time they gain a Corruption Flaw, they gain a +2 bonus in one Elder Lore discipline of their choice. The same discipline may not be selected more than once. There is no additional Sanity reduction for this—it is covered by the penalty above.

Flaws: Bad Reputation (–2 to social rolls; +1 Style point whenever his bad reputation causes problems) Weapons: Punch 5N

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Cthulhu Codicil Whipple, Dr. Elihu A native and resident of Providence, Rhode Island, Whipple is best known as a medical doctor, though he is also a noted amateur antiquarian and genealogist with several academic papers to his name. A respected citizen of that fine town, he is regarded as a man of sharp mind and conservative views, not one to take flights of fancy or accept strange notions out of hand. An affable, clean-shaven gentlemen, though a little out of touch with fashion and holding to old-fashioned views, he has never sought a wife. Thus, he devotes his time to his work and his hobbies.

Whipple, Dr. Elihu Patron 1 Archetype: Academic/Physician; Motivation: Truth; Style: 1 Primary Attributes: Body 2, Dexterity 2, Strength 2, Charisma 2, Intelligence 4, Willpower 3 Secondary Attributes: Size 0, Move 4, Perception 7, Initiative 6, Defense 4, Stun 2, Health 5, Sanity 5 Skills: Academics: History 7 (New England Folklore 8), Anthropology 5, Bureaucracy 5, Diplomacy 4, Hobby: Genealogy 6, Investigation 6, Linguistics 5, Medicine 6 (First Aid 7) Talents: None Resources: Fame 1 (Historian; +2 Social bonus), Refuge: Equipment 1 (+2 bonus to Academics: History), Status 1 (Doctor of Medicine; +2 Social bonus) Flaws: Skeptic (+1 Style point whenever he proves an assertion wrong or convinces someone else to question their beliefs) Weapons: Punch 0N

Zann, Erich German by birth but now living in a small apartment in Paris, Zann is an accomplished viola player. He found some fame in his younger days, though he has stopped playing in large concert halls, displaying his talents only as part of a small Parisian orchestra.

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Following a concert in Berlin, a swarthy man, possibly of Egyptian origin, approached Zann. Praising the musician for his performance, the stranger asked whether Zann had ever heard the “music of the stars.” Intrigued, Zann listened as the foreigner whistled a haunting, unearthly tune. Struck with a sudden desire to master the melody, Zann became more and more reclusive. Forsaking his daily activities, he fixated on composing new works based on the stranger’s tune. As his pieces grew more fervent and unearthly in nature, Zann began hearing weird noises, a distant discordant piping that, over the years, has grown louder. Deathly afraid of the true nature of his fellow musician, Zann nevertheless remains compelled to craft new tunes, compositions he knows will eventually bring him face-to-face with the horror from beyond. Zann has a small but lean frame, though he has developed a slight stoop with age. His face is long and thin, with a long nose, goatee beard, thinning hair, and brilliant blue eyes. Zann is a mute. He lost his voice after suffering a severe seizure several years ago after playing a particularly alien tune. His doctors see no chance of him ever recovering.

Zann, Erich Patron 1 Archetype: Artist; Motivation: Wisdom; Style: 1 Primary Attributes: Body 3, Dexterity 2, Strength 2, Charisma 3, Intelligence 2, Willpower 3 Secondary Attributes: Size 0, Move 4, Perception 5, Initiative 4, Defense 5, Stun 3, Health 6, Sanity 2 Skills: Art: Music 5, Elder Lore: Music 4, Empathy 5 (Body Language 6), Gambling 4, Linguistics 3, Performance 8 (Viola 9) Talents: Captivate (Can temporarily entrance targets), Skill Aptitude (+2 Performance rating) Resources: None Rituals: Summon Courtier of Azathoth Flaws: Highly Strung (+1 Style point each time he loses one or more points of Sanity), Mute (+1 Style point whenever a severe problem occurs because of his inability to speak) Weapons: Punch 0N

Chapter Five: Handling the Mythos “Do not call up that which you cannot put down.” —H. P. Lovecraft, The Case of Charles Dexter Ward The above quote may appear an unusual choice for this chapter, but it’s a very handy piece of advice for Gamemasters of all experience levels—do not add anything to your campaign unless you can easily take it away later. What do we mean by that? Having the globetrotters learn rituals is part of the game. In order to do so, though, they must peruse eldritch books (risking sanity), master the rite (through spending Experience points), and have the necessary self-confidence and strength of will (decent Primary Attributes) to actually invoke a ritual (not to mention risking more insanity each time they invoke a spell). If you start handing out rituals like candy, perhaps without needing the globetrotters to read certain books, pay Experience, or suffer madness when casting, the globetrotters are likely to become too powerful too quickly. Remember, this isn’t a fantasy game, with wizards memorizing dozens of arcane spells. Having handed out the sweets, so to speak, removing them later in the campaign, or changing the rules on how they are gained or cast, is unfair. It is also extremely hard to explain to your players how their characters suddenly “forgot” or “lost” their rituals, or why learning new ones has become harder. The same applies equally to eldritch relics. Yes, they are magic items (although scientific

object would be a much more applicable term, as we’ll discuss later), but they should be extremely rare objects, not something the globetrotters acquire in each and every adventure. We’re not trying to tell you how to run your game—this is merely friendly advice on how to maintain the specific ethos and flavor of the Lovecraft Mythos as it was written and keep your campaign balanced from that perspective.

Adding Flavor but Explaining Nothing The Lovecraft Mythos is a vast, complex, and often contradictory body of semi-related stories, full of odd phrases and throwaway names. In The Haunter of the Dark, for instance, the protagonist utters the phrase “Iä . . . ngai . . . ygg” as his doom nears, while in Through the Gates of the Silver Key, the hero intends to study the “tablets of Nhing.” Neither phrase is given any real context, leaving the reader to consider what they might mean. With regard the latter, nothing is hinted save the obvious implication it is some sort of inscribed clay or stone artifact. In order to retain the mysterious nature of the Mythos, the Gamemaster should pepper the speech of villains (since it is they who usually have knowledge of eldritch lore) with phrases and names, but without explaining anything else. Here’s an example. The Gamemaster thinks “the three thousand seals” would make a suit-

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Cthulhu Codicil Alternative Names of Great Old Ones Below is a short list of alternate names for various Great Old Ones. Some are entire phrases, while others are merely variations of the entity’s name.

Generic Titles Answerer of Prayers, The Elder or Great or Old One, That Which Cannot Be Named, The Thing from Beyond

Azathoth Titles: The Blind Idiot God, The Daemon Sultan, He Who Should Not be Named (referring to his true name), Lord of All Things, the Nuclear Chaos

Borkug Titles: The Doom of Sarnath, The Great Water Lizard, Lord of the Voiceless Ones

ably enigmatic phrase. Perhaps it is uttered by a cultist leader confronted by the globetrotters, or discovered in a mold-ridden diary. While the phrase alone works well, adding it in an equally enigmatic context provides another layer of flavor. It also gives the players more to think about. Maybe the full sentence reads “I have opened the three thousand seals.” You could easily replace “opened” with “broken,” “spoken the words on,” “gazed at,” “traced,” or “deciphered.” Don’t worry about what the three thousand seals are, or the mechanics of how they were used. As we’ve said before, the Mythos is beyond the full comprehension of mere mortals, and researching a vague phrase or odd word may take months or years of delving into forbidden books. Likely the globetrotters won’t go down that route, but if they do, you’ve got plenty of time to think of something before they find the information they seek. Heck, it might be that the three thousand seals is something created by the cultist or author simply as a means of their understanding some aspect of the Mythos, and thus is a unique phrase that never appears anywhere else.

Cthulhu Titles: The Great Dreamer, High Priest of the Great Old Ones, The Sleeper of R’lyeh Also: Dead, Dread, or Great Cthulhu Alternative Spellings: Katulu, Ktulu, Tulu

Ghatanothoa Titles: Drinker in Darkness, He Who Demands Sustenance, The One Whose Gaze is Living Death Alternative Spellings: G’tanta, Gatan, Ktan-Tah, Tanotah, Than-Tha

Nyarlathotep Titles: The Crawling Chaos, He of a Thousand Forms, Messenger of the Gods, Soul of the Gods Avatars: The All-Seeing Eye, The Black Man, The Black Pharaoh, The Eater With No Face, The Faceless One, The Haunter of the Dark, The Old Man, The Red Leech, The Yellow King

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Naming Gods & Monsters We’re already covered naming rituals in Leagues of Cthulhu, but the same line of thought equally covers the Great Old Ones and lesser horrors. There is no reason why a cultist or eldritch book should refer to any entity by name. When partaking of rituals or writing about their experiences, cultists may use the phrase “the Great One” or “Answered or Prayers,” for example. They know who they mean, and there is little reason for them to provide outsiders with further details. With regard Nyarlathotep, who has a thousand forms, cultists serving his cause may not even know his true name, using only that of the particular avatar they worship. The Cult of the Red Leech, for example, names only the Red Leech when offering supplication. Of course, reusing the same alternate name over and over gets boring very quickly. Instead, employ a range of different names for the same

Handling the Mythos entity. Maybe “He Who Waits” or “He Who Lies Sleeping” refers to Cthulhu, while “The Key & Gate,” “The Master of Time,” or “He Who Sunders the Veil” is Yog-Sothoth. The sidebars contains a new number of examples to start your imagination flowing.

History in the Mystery One of the tricks used by Lovecraft in his writing, and something subsequent Mythos authors have embraced, is to add historical facts to their stories. Some of these additions are based on real people, places, and events, while some are purely the work of the authors’ imaginations. Together, they help give the impression of reality within a campaign, that the Mythos is part of our real world history and that past events could actually have happened. When adding such flavor, remember to include dates. If you’re going to create the name for a deceased scholar whose diary the globetrotters must peruse, then add the author’s dates of birth and death. The scholar himself plays no part in the tale, but adding a brief biography as well only heightens the sense that he was a real person. Similarly, mentioning the disappearance of early settlers as part of folklore is given more credence with the date they vanished, even if it is only vague, such as “in the early 18th century.” A little research into historical figures, events, and places can open avenues for Mythos-related activity. The vaguer the information, the more room you have to create your own version of the past. For instance, why did Cardinal Richelieu order the roof of the Mas-d’Azil grotto destroyed with gunpowder in 1625? Was the earthquake that destroyed Port Royal in 1692 an act of God or a Great Old One? Is it really a coincidence that a mob torched the palace archives of Mexico’s viceroy the day after the earthquake? You can even create an entire alternate history by asking questions historians have never asked. Were Napoleon’s savants searching for anything in particular when they scoured the ruins of Egypt? Were other texts found alongside the Rosetta Stone—texts inscribed with horrendous fantastical beasts, perhaps? Did

Alternative Names of Great Old Ones cont’d Rhan-Tegoth Titles: He of the Ivory Throne, Terror of the Hominids

Shub-Niggurath Titles: The Black Goat of the Woods with a Thousand Young, The Fertile One, Magna Mater (“Great Mother”), The Mother of All, The Mother Goddess, She Who Suckles the Faithful

Tsathoggua Titles: He Who Resides in Darkness, the Sleeper of N’kai, the Toad-God Alternative Spellings: Sadagowah, Zhothaqqua

Yig Titles: Father of Serpents, Lord of Serpents, The Scaled One

Yog-Sothoth Titles: All-in-One and One-in-All, Font of Knowledge, The Gate & the Key, The Gatekeeper, the Lurker at the Threshold, Most Ancient and Prolonged of Life, Opener of the Way, The Walker in Eternity Avatars: ‘Umr At-Tawil (possibly)

Darwin discover anything he never spoke about in public during his voyages of discovery? If you’ve done well, your players may not be able to separate history from “mythtory.”

When Gods Attack! Sooner or later, some deranged cult is going to cast a Call (Deity) ritual and have it work before the globetrotters can prevent it.

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Cthulhu Codicil Suddenly a Great Old One appears out of nowhere and starts devouring all the interlopers (i.e., the heroes) or ripping them apart with abominable limbs, right? Well, that’s actually very unlikely to happen. Sure, the mere sight of any Great Old One is going to send many globetrotters insane, but that’s a side-effect of its existence, not an overt attack. Ask yourself why would a Great Old One suddenly target the globetrotters. Is it because the intrepid heroes are a danger to its plans, enemies or its cult, or a tasty-looking morsel? For sure, they have no weapons capable of harming its physical form, at least not in any permanent way. A Great Old One looks at a mortal in the same way a human looks at an insect—as something utterly insignificant. Even if the summoned entity requires a quick meal, it is more likely to grab whatever is closest, and that is usually its hapless followers. Remember, even if they grant certain chosen followers special gifts, the Great Old Ones are alien entities, with motives and thoughts beyond the ken of mortals.

Die, Great Old One! Even armed with an artillery piece (an unlikely event in itself), the globetrotters won’t be able to harm a Great Old One. Alien physiology, immense size, and thick blubber mean even the heaviest guns are little more than a trivial nuisance to a Great Old One—an insect biting an elephant. Not even developing a Victorian era nuclear bomb is going to help much in the long run— the Great Old Ones are capable of reforming their bodies. Sure, the heroes might drive it away, but the thought of a Great Old One being killed for all time is laughable. Watching a Great Old One reform is likely to warrant another Horror roll (Difficulty 6), anyway. And so what if a Great Old One is dispelled by a powerful weapon or potent ritual? In the same way a human is very unlikely to try and find the one ant in a swarm that bit them, so the Great Old One has no interest in hunting down its “killer,” at least not personally—that task can be handled by vengeful cultists.

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So, unless a globetrotter gets too close to a Great Old One and is killed by accident (again, using the insect analogy a human may step on an ant without even realizing it), these monstrous entities are not a true physical threat to the heroes. This is why we haven’t bothered giving these alien super-fiends statistics. More likely, it is the deity’s maniacal followers who intend on inflicting physical harm on the globetrotters.

Removing a Great Old One So can the globetrotters gain physical victory against a Great Old One? Armed with a suitable weapon, such as that Victorian equivalent of a nuclear bomb, the Gamemaster could rule the detonation is enough to dispel the Great Old One automatically. Of course, there is going to be immense collateral damage to consider. Given that the Great Old Ones can exist on Earth only for a single scene, the globetrotters could just hide and wait it out. The upside is that the entity might devour its cultists, though this is far from guaranteed. The downside to this plan is that the deity might well destroy an entire city in that time, causing thousands of deaths and shattered minds. A third option, one that harnesses the power of the Mythos against itself, is given in the sidebar Banishing Gods & Monsters over.

Themes within the Mythos “Life is a hideous thing, and from the background behind what we know of it peer daemoniacal hints of truth which make it sometimes a thousandfold more hideous. Science, already oppressive with its shocking revelations, will perhaps be the ultimate exterminator of our human species—if separate species we be—for its reserve of unguessed horrors could never be borne by mortal brains if loosed upon the world.“ —H. P. Lovecraft, Facts Concerning the Late Arthur Jermyn and His Family Whether overtly or covertly, all of Lovecraft’s tales share some thematic similarities.

Handling the Mythos We briefly explore some of the main themes running through the Mythos below.

Science, Not Supernatural As Arthur C. Clarke said, any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. This is especially true with regard to the Lovecraft Mythos. The various monsters of the Mythos—especially the Great Old Ones—are not creatures born of supernatural events (such as being bitten by a vampire or surviving death as a ghost) or the imagination of storytellers, but alien entities of unimaginable age, monstrous power, and incomprehensible thought patterns native to distant worlds or alternative dimensions (that latter is hardly a new concept, even in the Victorian era). Although the means of summoning and communing with these profane fiends are referred to as rituals or spells, they are in fact a form of science utilizing higher dimensional non-Euclidean mathematics, signs and glyphs (a form of higher mathematical equation), the power of certain words (the “spells” recited by witches and necromancers of old), and the asyet unexplored and understood centers of the mind (mentalism, in lay terms). Subject to study by experts, objects such as the Fungi Brain Cylinder are soon discovered to be the result of science, albeit far beyond the understanding of modern scientists. While they appear to defy technological explanation, eldritch items such as the Powder of Ibn Ghazi, the sensory-bending drug Liao, and Loki’s Glass, are equally the product of scientific processes. That creating these relics requires knowledge beyond the realm of conventional science does not make them supernatural—it only gives the impression of being magical to those who lack the understanding of the true reality of the universe and its higher laws. Indeed, “occult” is perhaps the truest description, in its original meaning of occluded or hidden. Four centuries ago, making tiny people appear in a windowed box would be declared witchcraft, but modern readers don’t see anything supernatural about a television.

Optional Rule: Banishing Gods & Monsters As Call (Deity) and Summon (Horror) rituals can unleash the horrors of the Mythos in the world, so they can banish them. In order to dismiss a Mythos entity, a magician must cast the specific Call or Summon ritual, adding a small few alterations in order to dismiss rather than call the creature. This is no mean feat, especially if the magician must also fend off insane cultists or the targeted creature itself. If the invocation is successful, entities that are physically present (commonly lesser horrors) automatically leave the location at best speed and return to their lair. Entities existing in avatar form (such as certain Great Old Ones) simply fade away as the arcane link anchoring their form to the location is broken.

Creatures such as vampires and werewolves might exist, but they too have a grounding in science. Often, they are misidentified horrors of the Mythos, such as the drained corpses left behind by a Feaster from the Stars or the mangled carcasses of a Dimensional Shamblers’ attack. Actual vampires and werewolves are the result of science gone awry, created by elixirs and strange contraptions. With that in mind, there is no need to try and convert players into referring to the wonders of the Mythos as anything other than magic. Only globetrotters with an understanding of elder lore need know the truth.

The Sins

of the

Father

Several of Lovecraft’s tales concern modern day protagonists discovering dark and terrible ancestral secrets. Four of these are especially worthy of attention—The Rats in the Walls (in which the “hero” learns his ancestors were cannibals), Facts Concerning the Late Arthur Jermyn and His Family (in which the lead character

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Cthulhu Codicil discovers his ancestry includes white apes), The Case of Charles Dexter Ward (where the protagonist discovers his ancestor practiced strange and forbidden arts), and The Shadow Out of Innsmouth (were the lead learns he has Deep One heritage). In every case, the protagonist’s life is forever altered for the worse by the sins committed by one of their ancestors. Leagues of Cthulhu includes a number of families based on those of Lovecraft’s works that harbor dark secrets, but nothing prevents the Gamemaster from creating his own. It would certainly be a surprise for a globetrotter to learn that one (or more) of his ancestors dabbled in Things Man Was Not Meant to Know and that his bloodline is tainted!

There Are Things Man Was Not Meant to Know Otherwise known as forbidden knowledge, there are things humanity should never seek. Through curiosity, ignorance, or fate, globetrotters inevitably come to realize that the comfortable world they know is an illusion. True reality is one of elder deities (often encountered through ancient religions), where man is not alone in the universe, that said aliens are both monstrous and have existed on Earth since primordial times (and many still exist today), and that modern man has a longer history than scholars know. Delve too deeply into the Mythos, and the only outcome is knowledge no man can fully comprehend leading to, at best, regret concerning having unearthed the truth, and at worst, permanent insanity.

We Have No Purpose The real world can be a harsh and unforgiving place, but for many there is solace in faith and the hope of something better after death. Alas, in the Mythos, there is no comfort—the universe is a cold, bleak, and indifferent place. In the vast scale of eternity, humanity is utterly irrelevant. There is no God or Devil in any form. The

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Great Old Ones may be referred to as deities or gods, but even the most powerful of them is nothing more than an alien, albeit of unfathomable age. Without God, there is no divine origin to humanity, no soul, and no afterlife. At best, we are an accident born of a chain of natural events. At worst, we evolved from the casual genetic engineering of monstrous alien beings. We are not their children, nor do they seek to guide us to enlightenment or judge our actions—for all the thought they give us we might as well be bacteria on a petri dish. Within the confines of the Mythos we have no soul. Religion is an artificial construct created by man in an attempt to explain its (ultimately futile) existence and purpose. As physical beings, the Great Old Ones do not require our worship in order to exist, though we have our uses in their eon-spanning plans. In that regard, we are simple tools being manipulated by a vaster intelligence. Likewise, morality is a human concept, not a universal belief. To paraphrase Baruch Spinoza (1632-77), good is what is useful to society, and evil is what hinders us from good. There is no black and white in the Mythos, no right or wrong. There is only grey. With reference to the Great Old Ones, good and evil are utterly meaningless. These profane entities are what they are—alien. There is no divine judgment of our actions in life upon death, nothing for which to hope for after death. Our biological machines, for that is what we are, live, die, and then cease to exist. Ultimately, we are a species without purpose whose place in the universe is meaningless, and realizing that is part of the true horror of the Mythos. So how does one actually use this in adventures? Well, largely by inaction, actually. That is, do not have God grant miracles or have divine entities save the globetrotters from a fate worse than death. It is important to note that while God has no place in the Mythos, this is not an excuse to belittle real world religions or mock the faithful for their beliefs—that sort of thing has no place in a civilized society, and that includes the gaming table.

Chapter Six: The Mythos through Time “There were records of strange orders of beings which had peopled the world in forgotten pasts, and frightful chronicles of grotesque-bodied intelligences which would people it millions of years after the death of the last human being. I learned of chapters in human history whose existence no scholar of today has ever suspected.” —H. P. Lovecraft, The Shadow Out of Time

Distant Past Mythos Tale: At the Mountains of Madness, The Shadow Out of Time Despite the best efforts of the Temporal Society, reaching the past remains elusive. Some scientists believe there is an impenetrable wall forever lurking a fraction of a second behind the present. Others see time as a river, whose current forever pushes humanity forward. A few temporal scientists believe the past cannot be reached, for having taken place it no longer exists save as memories, photographs, written records, or physical artifacts created long ago. Science is wrong. Certain exotic drugs (such as Liao), the formidable science of alien races (The Great Race, for example), and gateways through alternate dimensions permit one not only to witness the past, but also venture there physically. This section is a potted history of Earth with regard the Lovecraft Mythos. What little is known about previous ages and epochs via eldritch lore is notoriously vague, with con-

tradictory information (much of it gained through dreams and drug-induced hallucinations), considerable speculation, and, most of all, very few firm dates—hardly a surprise when one is talking about tens or hundreds of millions of years rather than a few hundred or thousand years. Given the vast periods of time involved, countless events—some significant, others not so—have yet to be unearthed by students of the Mythos or intrepid explorers seeking fame and fortune in the ruins of a city whose existence mocks recorded history.

Proterozoic Eon 2.5 billion to 541 million years ago Geological evidence for the arrival of ancient aliens on Earth—striated, triangular marks waiting to be discovered by geologists in certain archaic slate beds—suggests a time span of not less than one billion years ago. Certain images carved by the Elder Things in their city in Antarctica’s Mountains of Madness, also as yet undiscovered by humans, pushes this back to not long after the formation of the Moon, some 4.5 billion years ago. The Elder Things, as eldritch lore names them, drift from the stars and settle in the ocean in what is now Antarctica, where they founded a city. Over time, the Elder Things raise new aquatic colonies across the globe and a small number of terrestrial bases on Antarctica, for the Earth is theirs to do with as they please.

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Cthulhu Codicil A Very Quick Geology Lesson In the same way that a standard year is divided into quarters, months, weeks, hours, minutes, and seconds, so Earth’s history has its own divisions of time. The largest time-scale is the eon, of which there are just four. These are divided into eras, which are in turn split into smaller units of time—periods, epochs, and finally ages. While specific spans vary in length, geologists apply approximate times to each one. Eon: 0.5 billion years, Era: several hundred million years, Period: tens of hundreds of millions years, Epoch: tens of hundreds of million years, Age: millions of years. Adding a few scientific names to your adventure will certainly add flavor, but there is no need to go mad. Much of the Earth’s Mythos related history is confined just to this eon, and delving into epochs is only required in the current era. Useful dates are given below.

Phanerozoic Eon Length: 541 mya to present Paleozoic Era (541-254 mya) Periods: Cambrian (541-485 mya), Ordovician (485-445 mya), Silurian (445-419 mya), Devonian (419-360 mya), Carboniferous (360-300 mya), Permian (300-250 mya) Mesozoic Era (250-66 mya) Periods: Triassic (250-201 mya), Jurassic (201-145 mya), Cretaceous (145-66 mya) Cenozoic Era (66 mya - present) Period: Paleogene (66-23 mya) - Epochs: Paleocene (66-59 mya), Eocene (59-35 mya), Oligocene (35-23 mya) Period: Neogene (23-2.5 mya) - Epochs: Miocene (23-7 mya), Pliocene (6-2.5 mya) Period: Quarternary (2.5 mya to present) - Epochs: Pleistocene (2.5 mya to 11,500 years ago), Holocene (11,500 to present day)

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Neoproterozoic Era 630-541 million years ago Six hundred millions years ago, the Elder Things’ solitude is shattered by the arrival of a second race from the stars. As alien to the Elder Things as humanity is to that eldritch species, the Flying Polyps construct cities of basalt on the land. Initially content to leave the new race alone, the Elder Things take umbrage at the Flying Polyps endeavors to colonize the seas. For the first time in its history, Earth knows war. Eventually victorious through their mastery of principles of energy still far beyond even the most rudimentary grasp of modern scientists, the Elder Things drive their enemies back onto the land. Until this time, life exists only as single celled organisms in the primordial oceans. Using their advanced science, the Elder Things begin to experiment. Instead of blind evolution, the ancient scientists create new marine life to serve first as food, and later merely for the sake of experimentation. Although they have used Shoggoths on other worlds, that most foul and dreaded species first slithers across the Earth during this era.

Phanerozoic Eon 541 million years ago until present At some point in history, a race of coneshaped beings evolves on Earth. Given the Elder Things record nothing of this in their epic tales, it would appear they evolve in lands as yet not colonized by the elder race or the hated Flying Polyps. Seeking to avoid the destruction of their species, the Great Race of Yith send their minds through untold distances of space (and potentially vast distances of time) to inhabit the cone-shaped beings’ bodies. On discovering the Flying Polyps, the Yithians immediately seek to destroy the profane creatures. Although unable to eradicate them entirely, the Great Race manages to drive the Flying Polyps beneath the earth, where they are imprisoned using arcane signs that were

The Mythos through Time old and potent before the Sun first ignited. The Great Race constructs its first city, often named Pnakotus, in what is now Australia.

Cambrian-Silurian Periods 541-419 million years ago Aside from eradicating a few troublesome species in later times, the Elder Things allow the evolution they had started to run its natural course. As vertebrates develop, life begins to enter the fossil record for the first time. Modern scientists refer to this sudden abundance of new life as the Cambrian explosion. Having undergone an evolution of their own, the Elder Things separate into two species—those who remain fully aquatic and those now better suited to life on land. With the Flying Polyps largely controlling the Earth’s surface, the Elder Things use their Shoggoth servitors to expand their aquatic bases. A small few land outposts are established on remote stretches of coastline, far from the Polyps’ dominion.

Devonian Period 419-360 million years ago Geological forces cause the world to violently buckle, destroying several Elder Thing cities and giving rise to a new continent in the South Pacific. Soon after, a third race descends from the heavens led by their king and high priest, dread Cthulhu. It is likely that the Deep Ones have either evolved naturally or are created by Cthulhu some time in the early Devonian Period. Certainly marine life has reached great diversity by this juncture, hence modern biologists refer to it as the “Age of Fish.” Intent on claiming the surface world as their own, Cthulhu and his Spawn war against the Elder Things. For a time, the Elder Things are driven back to the sea, their land holdings conquered or destroyed, but eventually and begin to push back. The titanic struggle ultimately results in a stalemate, with Cthulhu and his ilk retaining

the new continent and the Elder Things holding onto their ancestral lands. It is at this time the Elder Things construct a great land city on Antarctica, their sacred homeland by dint that it was in this region they first settled. The few cities established there by Cthulhu and his ilk before the great and terrible war are razed. Elsewhere, the Yithians are forced to repel Cthulhu’s minions in a series of bitter wars that wreak great destruction on both races. Once again, Cthulhu’s attempt to expand its reach is stymied. The various wars leave their mark on the Earth. Recalled in this fossil record, and named as the Late Devonian extinction, around 75% of all life is destroyed.

Carboniferous Period 360-300 million years ago No longer hampered by wars against the spawn of Cthulhu, the Elder Things continue their colonization project, with cities established in every ocean and on many landmasses not occupied by their rivals. Although yet to reach their cultural pinnacle, the Elder Things reach the height of their expansion.

Permian Period 300-250 million years ago An asteroid or comet strikes the eastern portion of Antarctica around 250 million years ago. Leaving a crater over 300 miles wide, the titanic impact sends ripples throughout the planet’s crust and ignites the sky. The devastation causes the extinction of around 95% of marine species and 70% of terrestrial vertebrates (the Permian-Triassic extinction event). In the Pacific, the lands occupied by Cthulhu and his Spawn sink beneath the waves, imprisoning the Great Old One and his fell kin in the fabled city of R’lyeh and abyssal deeps. The Elder Things are once more dominant. Having developed rudimentary intelligence, the Shoggoths did what slaves inevitably do—rebel against their masters. The Elder

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Cthulhu Codicil A Different Science The Moon In the 21st century, the dominant theory concerning the creation of the Moon is that two celestial bodies collided some 4.6 billion years ago. In the late Victorian age, a different hypothesis was proposed and accepted. In 1898, British astronomer George Darwin (18451912), son of Charles Darwin, was the first scientist to suggest the Earth and Moon were once one body. During the Earth’s molten phase, centrifugal forces tore a chunk from the planet. Postulating further, he suggested the material was ripped from what is now the Pacific Ocean.

Continental Drift That the shape of certain continents fit together like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle is not a new idea. As early as the 16th century, Flemish cartographer and geographer Abraham Ortelius (1527-1598) suggested that the continents had, at some point, been torn away from each other by earthquakes and floods. In the Victorian age, science holds that the shape of each continent was defined at the dawn of time and has been immutable. It is accepted that the continents have moved in relationship to each other, but the notion of ancient supercontinents remains speculation, and continental drift through plate tectonics has not yet been formulated.

Human Origins Victorian scientists have proposed that man evolved from apes. To date, though, archaeologists have discovered fossils of just three species of humans—homo sapiens (our immediate precursor, discovered in 1823), Neanderthal (1856), and Pithecanthropus erectus (Java Man, discovered in 1891—later renamed to homo erectus). The theory of the age proclaims humans evolved in Asia (though Darwin proposed Africa).

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Things quell the rebellion through the use of weapons of unimaginable power, but not without the loss of several cities and untold casualties. It is decreed that the use of Shoggoths on land be severely curtailed. Nature abhors a vacuum, though, and new life rapidly (in geological terms) began to fill the void left by the extinction. Geologically, this marks the start of the Mesozoic Era, the time when the dinosaurs roamed the land.

Jurassic Period 201-145 million years ago Still reeling from the devastation caused by the Shoggoth revolt and the effort required to keep the beasts pacified, the Elder Things are unable to hold on to their northern lands, which have been invaded by yet another alien race—the Fungi from Yuggoth. Seeking certain minerals necessary for the cultivation of their staple food, the Fungi colonize the higher peaks and remote mountains and establish a great city on the continent of Mu. The Fungi bring with them the Shining Trapezohedron and the monstrous Ghatanothoa. The people of K’n-yan claim to have arrived on Earth at the same time as Cthulhu, though they admit their lengthy history has become legend rather than a statement of fact. Their lands conquered and their people enslaved by the Fungi, the surviving people of K’n-yan abandon the surface world. Sealing the passageways to their subterranean refuge, they begin their long isolation from the outer world. Elsewhere, the Great Race is at its height. Deadly and destructive skirmishes with the Elder Things occur as the old race attempts to reclaim their domination, but the Yithians manage to maintain their hegemony.

Cretaceous Period 145-66 million years ago Earthquakes caused by the asteroid impact that wipes out the dinosaurs destroys the Elder Things’ first land-based city located in Antarctica. After the catastrophic upheaval, which also

The Mythos through Time creates the towering Mountains of Madness, they construct a smaller city nearby.

Paleogene Period 66-23 million years ago Aware of their imminent destruction by the resurgent Flying Polyps, the Great Race sends their minds from Earth to escape the inevitable retribution of that feared race. Fortunately for the Earth, the incursion is short-lived, for the Polyps have either become accustomed to darkness or lack the numbers to hold the entire surface world. Slaughtering the coneshaped race, they Polyps soon return to their underground haunts. The Lemurians, a possible precursor race of humanity, construct the city of Shamballah in “an eastern desert” some 50 millions years ago. The location for this primordial city is the Taklamakan Desert in Central Asia, a wasteland whose name means “the place of ruins.” As an aside, it is sometimes spelled Teklimakan, a name that conjures up the word tekeli-li in the minds of Mythos scholars who have read certain eldritch tomes.

Neogene Period 23-2.5 million years ago The Great Old One Rhan-Tegoth descends from the stars and makes its home in the wilds of northern Alaska. Worshipped by an unknown race, a great temple is raised in the heart of a sprawling city. How long the natives honor the horrific entity has been forgotten, but they either die in some catastrophe or begin worshipping other gods, causing RhanTegoth to enter torpor when its food supply dries up.

Quarternary Period 2.5 million years to present By the dawn of the Pleistocene, the movement of the continents, the rising of new mountains and sinking of old lands, and sav-

More Science Earthquakes With plate tectonics still undiscovered, Victorian scientists postulate several potential causes for earthquakes. First, the heat of the inner earth causes parts of the land to rise. This creates thrust faults in the crust. Second, the Earth is cooling and shrinking, causing the earth to buckle as it does (global cooling or contracting earth theories). Third, the Earth is expanding, stretching its surface. The latter may also explain the separation of the continents. With regard the latter, there are two main theories. The first argues that expansion is caused by inner heat. The second, put forward by Ivan Yarkovsky (1844-1902) in 1888, suggests the Earth is absorbing aether from the heavens. The aether is then transformed into new elements,

age earthquakes has left the Elder Things with only two land cities (in Antarctica and at the southernmost tip of South America) and no sea settlements higher than 50° south. That any survived so long is miraculous. Worse is yet to come for the remaining Elder Things, though, for Earth slowly begins to succumb to a lengthy ice age. Although able to warm their Antarctic city first using inclement weather clothing and later heating devices, they are eventually forced to abandon it some one million years ago in favor of an aquatic city off the coast. Aliens still exist in many parts of the world, but with their numbers greatly reduced and most opting to hide their existence, the world was set for modern humans to take the stage.

Humanity As is the case of intelligent life, albeit of alien origins, humanity is far older than proposed by men of science. The true antiquity of

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Cthulhu Codicil the Lemurians and people of K’n-yan is subject to much confusion and hearsay, but certain knowledge concerning humanity’s elder history are known to some who have delved deep into forbidden lore. Whether the material below is conjecture or truth can only be speculated at, for the source of this knowledge is dubious at best. Perhaps one day the truth of our ancestry shall be unearthed by some explorer or archaeologist, but until then, it is but myth.

The People of Mu According to Von Juntz, an advanced species of humans inhabited the continent of Mu as far back as 300,000 years ago, in an age when our ancestors were supposedly little more than cave-dwelling savages. It is possible they were a surface-dwelling branch of the people of K’n-yan, who survived the Fungi from Yuggoth’s extermination attempt and settled on the by-then vacant island continent. It may be they were slaves, freed from bondage when the Fungi eventually abandoned Mu. The date of Mu’s sinking beneath the waves varies from 75,000 (the Toba supervolcanic eruption) to 12,500 years ago (the end of the Ice Age). The scant few survivors took to ships and found shelter in other lands. Many settled on the islands that were once the highest peaks of Mu (such as Easter Island and Ponape) and in the neighboring continents. Through the generations, they civilized the savages of China, Egypt, Mexico, Persia, and Peru, becoming gods in name for the knowledge they brought the unruly tribes. They also brought with them knowledge of the Great Old Ones, especially Ghatanothoa, whose bloody cult took root and prospered in Mexico. Others settled on an island halfway across the globe, which they named Atlantis. Here they breed with Deep Ones and took up worship of Dagon. Conquering vast swathes of the Mediterranean coast, they spread the word of their living god, who they called Posei-dawon (“Master of Waters”). The ancient Greeks would later record this name as Poseidon. Von Juntz is not the only source of elder

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lore regarding humanity, however, and it may yet be proved that other advanced cultures whose existence is recorded only in certain forbidden books once walked the Earth.

Zobna and Lomar In the far north, an advanced people were forced to abandon their homes in Zobna (now lost beneath the Arctic) in the face of the expanding ice, settling in Lomar (modern Greenland) some 200,000 years ago. Their civilization is destroyed by the invading Inutos around 24,000 years ago. Little is known of the Inutos, save that they came from the west in great numbers.

South Africa In the year 50,000 BC, the lands of South Africa are populated by a brown-skinned people with enormous heads. The fate of their race is not recorded, though it may be they were conquered by the ancestors of long-forgotten Mu.

Cimmeria The few, notoriously vague mentions of Cimmeria in Mythos lore suggest its people occupied a land in what is now the North Sea. As the waters rose at the end of the last Ice Age, the land became an island, finally submerging around 5,000 BC. Most of its warlike people scattered to Norway, Britain, and Denmark in the 10th century BC, where they bred with the more primitive local tribes and introduced new concepts, such as astronomy and the construction of stone circles. Professor H. G. Wells, a member of several Leagues, postulated its existence as fact in 1897. Of that bygone age, he wrote, “...when one might have walked dryshod from France (as we call it now) to England, and when a broad and sluggish Thames flowed through its marshes to meet its father Rhine, flowing through a wide and level country that is under water in these latter days, and which we know by the name of the North Sea.”

Chapter Seven: Adventure Seeds “Man rules now where They ruled once; They shall soon rule where man rules now. After summer is winter, and after winter summer. They wait patient and potent, for here shall They reign again.” —H. P. Lovecraft, The Dunwich Horror

A Tour to Madness A wealthy patron requires assistance in bringing his wayward son home from his “grand tour” of ancient sites across Europe. The son is an aspiring painter but with a taste for laudanum. When the gelobtrotters catch up with him however, they find him dead in a rented studio in Cairo. His most recent paintings reveal ruins amid a desert landscape. A journal tells that he journeyed deep into the desert of Arabia in search of “the city of the Necronomicon.”

Art and the Mythos A poet, known in literary circles but not yet a luminary, has recently penned verses containing unsettling, some might say abominable and blasphemous, references. Their verses describe elder cities located deep beneath the sea or in remote parts of the world, eldritch horrors that can only be the result of a deranged mind. The artist might have discovered a Mythos tome or suffered from dreams sent by dread Cthulhu. Alternately, a similar seed involves a popular sculptor or artist. Instead of poetry, they are devoting their time to creating images of terrifying entities (sculptures) or vistas (paintings).

Beneath the Giza Plateau While exploring an Egyptian tomb, the globetrotters discover what appear to be the original architectural plans for the Great Pyramid. While the papyrus is a valuable find by itself, what it shows is of more interest to the Leagues—a second entrance, one as yet undiscovered, that leads to previously unknown chambers and tunnels beneath the Giza Plateau and the body of the Sphinx.

The Black Pharaoh A number of Egyptologists connected with a recent excavation have died under mysterious circumstances. The newspapers are talking of a curse. The killer is in fact a member of a fanatical sect. The questions are, why is he so desperate to kill the scholars, and is the mummy the expedition brought back, unusual for its black bandages and unadorned sarcophagus, somehow connected to his murderous rampage?

The Book The globetrotters are collecting a book (either for themselves or a friend). As they enter the bookshop, a dishevelled man pushes past them and hurriedly walks away. Entering the store, the globetrotters discover the owner dead, bludgeoned to death, the murder weapon a strangely carved idol. The owner’s diary, which is open nearby, indicates he had a meeting with an Indian gen-

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Cthulhu Codicil tleman staying at a hotel across town an hour before the globetrotters arrived. The man they saw enter the store wasn’t Indian, but he was carrying something under his coat. Is he an opportunist thief? Did he witness the murder?

Deep Freeze News that the Smythe-Loveless Expedition had found the remnants of the McClure Greenland Expedition, lost to a man in 1865 while attempting to map the northern mountains, resulted in much adulation. News that two of the members of the Smythe-Loveless party have since died under mysterious circumstances has the surviving members somewhat perturbed. Both of the dead, according to the coroners, died of severe frostbite, despite being found in their homes during an unseasonably warm summer. The survivors speak nervously of a strange, green stone idol uncovered in what appeared to be ancient ruins near the frozen corpses of the McClure Expedition. The party it insisted it be left where it was unearthed, but the expedition leader (one of the two deceased) ordered it taken back. As far as the explorers know, their leader donated the idol to a small museum in his home town.

Diving to R’lyeh After decades of research, a member of the Society of Aquanauts believes he has discovered the resting place of a sunken city in the southern Pacific. His peers think him mad, so he is looking for other globetrotters to join his quest. His broadcast to the Leagues has attracted the attention of the Cult of Cthulhu, who wish to wreck the expedition to the sunken city of R’lyeh.

The Elder Ice Several months after the fact, a whaling ship docks in London carrying news from a whaling station on one of the South Shetland Islands (in the Antarctic Circle). While exploring the frozen interior in search of seals, the station crew discovered a figure frozen in the ice. The captain expresses his opinion that the figure

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was of no animal he recognized, and that the merest outline gave him nightmares. The whaling ship’s schedule meant it could not wait around, and the last the captain knows the figure was to be cut out of its icy prison and the ice surrounding it melted so its nature could be determined.

Flame War Over the course of a week, the globetrotters read three articles involving deaths attributed to internal human combustion. Through questioning the victims’ friends and families, the globetrotters discover that all three belonged to a spiritual circle (The Illuminated Order of the Eternal Flame) but were intending to expose the leader to the newspapers.

Franklin, My Dear, I Don’t Give a Damn A British naval officer contacts the globetrotters, telling them that he wishes to meet to discuss new evidence he has unearthed regarding the ill-fated Franklin Expedition. He adds only that they were not really searching for the Northwest Passage, but something beneath the ice. The officer fails to attend the meeting. On investigating, the globetrotters discover the Admiralty has no record of an officer by that name. Was the request a hoax or is there a conspiracy afoot?

Greenland by Balloon As the year ends, reports begin reaching the Leagues that a Swedish attempt to map the interior of Greenland hot air balloon has vanished. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences refuses all offers of aid in searching for the expedition. A friend of the globetrotters, who knew one of the missing Swedes, suggests they were searching for antediluvian ruins.

H. P. Who? In 1893, Winfield Scott Lovecraft suddenly becomes psychotic while in a Chicago hotel.

Adventure Seeds He has since been placed in Butler Hospital (Providence, Rhode Island). His wife, Sarah Susan Phillips Lovecraft, believes he witnessed something that cost him his mind. For the sake of their young son, Howard (b. 1890), who has recently claimed to have been haunted in his sleep by “night gaunts,” she begs the Leagues to investigate.

Hunting the Hittites Working alongside eminent British Egyptologist Flinders Petrie (1853-1942) in the ruins of Amarna, Egypt, the Old Testament Society has unearthed a broken clay tablet inscribed with Akkadian cuneiform. Addressed to “great and powerful pharaoh,” the letter clearly notes the writer as Suppiluliuma, a Hittite king. Given the location of the discovery, it is most likely the pharaoh in question was Akhenaten. The two intact sections translate as “our gods are one [god] and they are one thousand in number” and “the great temple of the thousand that are one.” Fragmentary evidence from other sources leads the Society to mount an expedition to the Anatolian region of Turkey in the hope of discovering the ruins of the temple.

It’s All About the Angles After an evening out, the globetrotters are strolling home when a nervous gentleman proceeds past them. He doffs his hat politely as he passes, greets a cordial but hushed “Good evening,” and turns into a side-street. Seconds later, there is a bloodcurdling scream from the alley. Despite arriving only seconds later, the man who just past them is dead, his shredded corpse spread across the alley. There is no sign of the killer, nor are there any obvious prints in the copious amounts of blood. Either checking out what remains of the corpse or the report in the newspapers, the globetrotters discover the man was a professor of mathematics at a minor university. He was not the first member of the faculty to die horribly.

The Mark A police surgeon calls on one of the glo-

betrotters and ask him to come with him to the local morgue. The surgeon may be an old friend or fellow League member, or have been given the globetrotter’s details by a mutual acquaintance. Inside the morgue, they are shown a corpse, recently arrived. Carved into the cadaver’s chest is a vile rune of some sort. During the examination, the cadaver suddenly sits and emits an insane laugh before collapsing again in a lifeless lump.

Mistaken Identity A package arrives for one of the globetrotters. Instead of the item they were expecting, they have been sent a repulsive jade amulet in the shape of a hound. Investigations fail to reveal who the sender was, or the identity of the true recipient. That night, the globetrotter is awoken by the faint baying of a hound. Each night, the noise grows louder, as if the sound is coming closer.

The Music of Madness The globetrotters are invited to hear a new work by an upcoming musician. The work, inspired by a dream, is a cacophony of discordant piping. As the performance (thankfully) ends, the wind begins to howl and the walls of the house begin to shake. Something unearthly has heard the sound and it is answering the call.

No Skin Off My Back Someone is murdering prostitutes. Not exactly a unique crime, but in this instance the backs of each victim have been tattooed with strange glyphs. The police need assistance in apprehending the killer and they know just the people to help them.

The Passenger The globetrotters are taking a sea voyage, perhaps heading home after an adventure. While on deck, they witness two of the crew dragging a hysterical passenger away. As he

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Cthulhu Codicil nears the globetrotters, the passenger screams “They are coming! Take it back!” and thrusts a small, grotesque idol made from a slick green stone into one of their hands. Escaping from his captors, the passenger throws himself overboard, where he vanishes beneath the waves. That night, whichever globetrotter was handed the idol suffers a terrible nightmare, in which he is being hunted by fish-men.

The Recording

The Thunderbird Word has reached the adventurers that two cowboys have killed a ‘Thunderbird’ of Native American legend near Tombstone, Arizona. The creature is described as a cross between a bat and an alligator. With its 40-foot wing span and featherless body, is it possible that some kind of flying dinosaur still hunts the skies of the American west? Actually, no—the creature is a Shantak, summoned to Earth by cultists.

One of the globetrotters inherits a collection of wax phonograph cylinders from a distant relative or former colleague. Most are utterly mundane, but one dated just a month ago contains strange chanting. Played fully, it summons a Mythos horror of the Gamemaster’s choosing. What is the origin of the chanting, and did it have anything to do with the benefactor’s untimely death just a few days after the cylinder was delivered to his heir? Why have the globetrotters now begun hearing the chant wherever they go?

They Came From the Sea

Silence of the News

Where the Cold Wind Blows

A globetrotter is awakened in the middle of the night by hammering at his door. By the time they reach the door, the noise has stopped. Opening the door, they discover a man nailed to the door by his hands, his tongue ripped out from his mouth. A brief inspection of the man’s pockets indicates he was a reporter for one of the smaller local newspapers. Was he going to see the globetrotter? What story could he have that would result in so ghastly a death?

The globetrotters are part of an expedition sent to collect explorers who have been wintering over in Antarctica. On reaching the remote camp, which lies inland, they discover the explorers dead. Each of them has been anatomically dissected with a great deal of skill. A journal hints at hearing eerie piping sounds and the growing fear that something has been stalking around the camp.

The Specimen A renowned explorer has returned from Arabia with a remarkable specimen—a creature that appears to be some amalgam of a crocodile and human. His lecture does not go as well as he hoped, with many League members calling him a fraud. Two days later, the globetrotters learn that the explorer has been found insane in a locked room. There is no sign of his specimen.

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While talking to a member of the Anglers Club, a globetrotter learns that dolphins are being stranded on a particular stretch of beach. By itself this is not unusual, but the strandings occur daily. On investigation, the globetrotters discover that the dolphins are apparently deliberately beaching themselves, their flipper tracks revealing they are trying to reach the land. What force could make the marine mammals vacate the sea, knowing the only outcome is certain death?

Withering Away One of the globetrotter’s colleagues at the League appears to be wasting away. The globetrotter has seen their colleague every night for the last few days, and each time they appear more gaunt (the result of a powerful Mark of Withering ritual). Eventually, either the globetrotter talks to the friend about their plight or vice versa. Either way, the person merely says “He has done this to me” and hands over a business card before dropping dead.

Chapter Eight: Cats “[The cat] is the kin of the jungle’s lords, and heir to the secrets of hoary and sinister Africa. The Sphinx is his cousin, and he speaks her language; but he is more ancient than the Sphinx, and remembers that which she hath forgotten.” —H. P. Lovecraft, The Cats of Ulthar While the author does not share H. P. Lovecraft’s racial prejudices in any form, both writers may be styled “cat people.” This short chapter takes a look at the enigmatic cat.

Cats in Ancient Egypt “He is the soul of antique Aegyptus, and bearer of tales from forgotten cities in Meroe and Ophir.” —H. P. Lovecraft, The Cats of Ulthar The common domestic cat (Felis catus), if the word “common” can ever be attributed to so noble a creature, has been part of humanity’s life for many millennia. Historians and biologists alike insist that wild cats first entered human settlements in search of rodents drawn to the stored grains and were soon domesticated and adopted as mousers. No doubt there is an element of truth in such mundane claims, but cats prowled this world long before mankind’s early ancestors dropped from the trees and learned to walk upright, and in that time they have learned many things still unknown to their bipedal supposed masters. The Ancient Egyptians venerated the cat as

a sacred animal. No mere household pets or hard-working mousers, they were elevated to near divine status. Cats were greatly mourned on their death. The Greek historian Herodotus (c.484-c.425 BC) reported that the death of a cat was met with mournful wails and the shaving of eyebrows, before the cat was mummified in the style of the mighty pharaohs. As an aside, Herodotus was amazed by the cats of Egypt, for the Greeks and Romans seldom owned or employed such creatures. Still, Greece and Rome are younger cultures and lack the antiquity and mystery of Egypt. Egypt’s cats sprawled at the feet of magicians and listened as they performed incantations and recited eldritch lore, the felines’ knowing smiles an indication that they were already well-versed in such matters, for it had been passed from cat to cat down the ages. They watched impassively as the priests performed their ceremonies. They lay at the feet of the great Sphinx, the statue sculpted in their form, and whispered things more ancient than the stones from which it was carved. They scratched their claws on the foundation stones of the Great Pyramid. They licked their paws in boredom at the rise and fall of diabolical rulers such as Scorpion I, Nephren-Ka, and Queen Nitocris. They even ate from the plates of pharaohs, themselves living gods, as equals.

In Other Cultures It was not only the Ancient Egyptians who had a fondness for cats. Viking farmers would

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Cthulhu Codicil leave milk as an offering to the cats of Freyja. The first recorded name of the Shetland Islands was Inse Catt, or “Islands of the cat people.” Humans do not recall the reason why, and cats have no wish to educate them on the matter. Domestic cats are considered lucky in Japan, Russia, and parts of Africa.

or killing of a cat also brings with it the Animal Antipathy Flaw, but only regarding domestic cats and their larger cousins.

No Man May Kill a Cat

Gods

“It is said that in Ulthar, which lies beyond the river Skai, no man may kill a cat;” —H. P. Lovecraft, The Cats of Ulthar

“The proud Egypt wherein Pharaoh was Pharaoh and pyramids rose in beauty at the wish of him who dreamed them bowed down to the cat, and temples were built to its goddess at Bubastis.” —H. P. Lovecraft, Cats and Dogs

It was Pharaoh Menes, also known as Narmer, founder of the First Dynasty, who first ruled that no man may kill a cat. Lost to human memory, but still recalled by cats, is the knowledge that Menes was an orphan adopted by a trading caravan and that his sole possession was a black kitten. In that distant time the veil between the waking world and the Dreamlands was much weaker than today, and the caravan roamed roads that led to that fantastical dimension. When the cat was murdered by an evil cotter and his wife, the distraught Menes brought down a deadly curse on the transgressors (see p. 177 for more details). On ascending the throne of Egypt, Pharaoh Menes’ first proclamation was that no man could kill a cat and live. Menes’ judgment echoed through the centuries. The prophet Mohammed prohibited the killing or persecution of their kind, for instance, as did the Welsh king Hywel Dda (c.880-950). Alas, it was not to last. As time passed, the cat became not a creature of veneration, but of suspicion and hatred. In Europe, cats became synonymous with witchcraft, being accused of being devilish familiars. Millions of innocent felines were thrown onto pyres by the unenlightened masses. Such barbarism did not escape Bastet, the Egyptian deity of cats. Her punishment was righteous—the Black Death. Optional Rule: A globetrotter who accidentally harms or kills a cat is cursed with bad luck for a year and a day. In game terms, they gain the Unlucky Flaw. The deliberate harming

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Of Cats and...

Save for Antarctica, of which no cat will speak, cats are found on every continent and come in different guises. No matter the country they call home, all domestic cats honor Bastet. Among cats, Bastet may also be referred to as Mekal (“Fierce Devourer”) and Pahket (“She Who Scratches”). One of the earliest Egyptian deities, Bastet has been a deity of war, cats, and motherhood, her aspects evolving over time to fit human needs. A temple in her honor stood in the desert for longer than the first pyramids. It was not until the 22nd Dynasty that a city was raised around it from where the pharaoh ruled. Its Egyptian name was Per-Bastet, or “House of Bastet,” for it was believed the goddess dwelt in the great temple. The temple boasted an oracle, but none outside the highest ranks of the priesthood knew that the oracle’s words were repeated from the whispers of the sacred temple cats. Bastet’s name is little known among humans today, save among Egyptologists, who see her as nothing more than one of countless pagan deities worshipped by superstitious peoples, and a handful of human worshippers. Cats, however, have never forgotten her name, nor has their veneration withered with time. It is in order to be close to her divine spirit that they preen themselves (cats knowing that cleanliness truly is next to godliness). It is to her they yowl praise when the moon is fat and leave sacrifices of mice and birds.

Cats With regard to the Mythos, cats are aware of several Great Old Ones. Cthulhu they vehemently detest (see Water below). While it is prophesied that the wild beasts of the earth will lick the hands of Nyarlathotep in the future, domesticated cats will never proffer the paw of friendship to the Crawling Chaos. Aware of avatars yet to be discovered by humans, cats know full well that Nyarlathotep is an enemy of their species. While cats do not venerate Yog-Sothoth in any form, they know the Gate and the Key of old. From it, their forebears learned the means to walk between the waking world and the Dreamlands, where their kin have long dwelt, and see beings native to other dimensions. Of the Great Old Ones, cats are either ignorant or have no desire to traffic with them—only cats know which is true.

Humans “Owners of dogs will have noticed that, if you provide them with food and water and shelter and affection, they will think you are god. Whereas owners of cats are compelled to realize that, if you provide them with food and water and shelter and affection, they draw the conclusion that they are gods.” —Christopher Hitchens, The Portable Atheist: Essential Readings for the Nonbeliever Despite their dispersal around the world and their loss of status at the hands of humans over the millennia, cats have never forgotten the lofty status in which they were once held. From pedigrees to the most mange-ridden mongrel, cats are arrogant and haughty. When a dog wants food it servilely begs whereas a cat demands. A dog will come when called, whereas the cat may deign to give one a quick glance, albeit one often accompanied by an expression that gives the impression the cat is looking down its nose at the one who dared disturb it. Similarly, the cat is a talented killing machine, at least with regard to birds and small animals, and is more than capable of feeding itself. That it chooses to live with humans is another memory of its ancient status. In the eyes

of a cat, humans are servants who pamper it and bring it offerings of food, as fits their rightful place in the grand scheme of the universe. Of course, the greatest trick ever performed by cats is giving humans the impression that it is they, not the cats, that are the masters.

Insanity “Through all this horror my cat stalked unperturbed. Once I saw him monstrously perched atop a mountain of bones, and wondered at the secrets that might lie behind his yellow eyes.” —H. P. Lovecraft, The Rats in the Walls Throughout the ages, cats have wandered through the Dreamlands, frolicked on the Moon, cast their eyes upon horrendous images carved by insane cultists, and stared into the faces of profane monstrosities. They may run in fear for their lives, for the cat is an intelligent beast, but where a human mind might dissolve into permanent insanity, the mind of the cat remains undisturbed by such terrors. Optional Rule: Cats never make Horror checks.

Language “Now much of the speech of cats was known to Randolph Carter...” H. P. Lovecraft, The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath To the uninitiated, domesticated cats communicate through hissing, meowing, and purring, as various forms of body language. Unlike feral cats, who rarely vocalize, domesticated felines understand the language of their owners. Although unable to reproduce human sounds, cats have their own language. It is most often employed in the Dreamlands, where earthly cats roam at night, though they deign to speak to close human friends while in the waking world. It is through this tongue, which predates the grunts of man’s earliest ancestors by millennia, that they pass on gossip and the ancient lore to which they are privy.

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Cthulhu Codicil Rule: Globetrotters with Dreamlands Lore can learn to speak the language of cats (see p. 144 for details).

Names “‘Cats don’t have names,’ it said. ‘No?’ said Coraline. ‘No,’ said the cat. ‘Now you people have names. That’s because you don’t know who you are. We know who we are, so we don’t need names.’” —Neil Gaiman, Coraline Humans like names. They give them to objects, animals, and their offspring. Even things which exist only in the mind or existential thought are given names. Cats, on the other hand, have no concept of names in the human sense of the word. Identification is done by sight and smell, for pheromones are a secret language the cats have not shared even with their closest human allies. This is not to say that cats are ignorant of human names. A cat knows the human name of its owner and those of cat-friends passed on by other members of its species. When addressing a human, a cat will always use their name out of politeness.

Strange Senses “For the cat is cryptic, and close to strange things which men cannot see.” —H. P. Lovecraft, The Cats of Ulthar No cat “owner” can have failed to notice that that cat has, at some time or another, sat and stared at an innocuous area of space. Many have probably wondered what the animal might be seeing. It is best not to linger on such thoughts for too long, for the cat can see things that a human cannot, and indeed should not. What the cat sees exists in a dimension coterminous with our own. To our senses the creature simply does not exist, but the cat can both hear and see the otherworld entity as clearly as the next bird or rodent it seeks as

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prey. Such entities are rarely bothersome, lest the cat would howl its displeasure or arch its back and hiss in anger. That said, many a cat owner has awoken from slumber on hearing their “pet” tearing around the house for no earthly reason. At such times, the cat is either chasing away or fleeing from some unwanted interdimensional entity floating or slithering through its territory. Optional Rule: Cats can see invisible creatures.

Water “Most cats don’t like water, and despite her pretensions of tigerhood, Julie was no different. Yes, tigers have stripes; so do tabbies. If you want to know the difference, try tossing one of each into your swimming pool. Then I would recommend running.” —Seanan McGuire, Rosemary and Rue Few can notice that cats are fastidious about cleanliness, yet attempts to bathe them are met with hissing, biting, and clawing. Cats are more than capable of swimming, and thus do not fear drowning, yet they have an aversion to deep water. Millions of year before humans came to dominate the land, all manner of foul things crawled and slithered from the sea. The cats had no love for these gelatinous entities, nor the vile deity Cthulhu they worshiped, whose dreams they witnessed but were revolted by. While the great cats, such as lions and tigers, had the strength and natural weapons to kill the monstrous things, their smaller cousins did not. The fear those malodorous, unsightly beings inspired has never been forgotten. Even stepping in a small amount of water causes cats the equivalent of shivers down the spine—as evidenced by their hurriedly shaking their paws to remove the offending material. Only when there is the potential for a meal does a cat sit close to water, and only then ponds and rivers, where Cthulhu’s ilk are rarely found. Even then, the cat’s interaction with the water is a quick strike to grab a fish before retreating to a safer, drier environment.

The Realm of Morpheus: The Dreamlands

Dreamlands Contents The Realm of Morpheus: The Dreamlands...................................... 137 Introduction............................................................................... 139 What is the Dreamlands?........................................................... 139 Nature of the Dreamlands......................................................... 139 Recommended Stories................................................................ 140 A Guide to Using this Book...................................................... 140 Chapter One: Dreamers................................................................ 141 New Motivations....................................................................... 141 New Skill................................................................................. 142 New Leagues............................................................................. 143 New Flaws................................................................................ 144 New Gear................................................................................. 145 New Weird Science................................................................... 145 Chapter Two: Magic & Manuscripts.............................................. 153 Entering the Dreamlands.......................................................... 153 Shaping the Dreamlands............................................................ 155 Eldritch Magic......................................................................... 157 Eldritch Books........................................................................ 158 Eldritch Relics......................................................................... 160 Chapter Three: Gazetteer of the Dreamlands................................ 161 Entrance.................................................................................. 161 The East................................................................................... 161 The North............................................................................... 165 The South................................................................................ 168 The West.................................................................................. 170 The Underworld....................................................................... 177 The Moon................................................................................ 179 Chapter Four: Inhabitants of the Dreamlands............................... 181 Gods........................................................................................ 181 Horrors................................................................................... 182 Cults........................................................................................ 189 Notable Persons....................................................................... 191 Animals..................................................................................... 196

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Introduction: What is the Dreamlands? “From my experience I cannot doubt but that man, when lost to terrestrial consciousness, is indeed sojourning in another and uncorporeal life of far different nature from the life we know; and of which only the slightest and most indistinct memories linger after waking. [...] We may guess that in dreams life, matter, and vitality, as the earth knows such things, are not necessarily constant; and that time and space do not exist as our waking selves comprehend them. Sometimes I believe that this less material life is our truer life, and that our vain presence on the terraqueous globe is itself the secondary or merely virtual phenomenon.” —H. P. Lovecraft, Beyond the Wall of Sleep Welcome, dreamer! While you believe you are reading these words in comfortable surroundings, you are, in fact, in a light sleep. Look down and you will see that you stand at the top of the Seventy Steps that lead to the Cavern of Flame, and from which one can descend the seven hundred steps to the Gate of Deeper Slumber. Pass through and you will find yourself in the fantastical Dreamlands. Step back from the threshold of slumber for now, though, and awaken, for the Dreamlands, while containing many amazing sights and friendly inhabitants, contain many dangers. Through this book we will guide you into how to enter the Dreamlands with ease, show you some of its many wonders, introduce you to some of its citizens, and avail you of knowledge concerning the horrors you may encounter.

Nature of the Dreamlands The Dreamlands is not a realm of pure imagination, a fiction existent only in the minds of dreamers that ceases to be once a dreamer awakens. Rather, the Dreamlands is another dimension, one that can be reached through dreams and a very few doorways that exist between the world of the waking and the world of dreams. Within the Dreamlands, a dreamer must obey the rules of that reality. For the most part, they are those of the waking world, requiring one to seek sustenance (but not sleep), and where dangers to the body, mind, and spirit can cause serious injury and even death. Yet there are things a dreamer can do within the Dreamlands that are impossible in the waking world. They may board a sailing ship to the moon and walk its surface without the need for technological artifacts, or shape reality to include new geographical locations or settlements.

More than One Dreamland For the people of Earth, there is but one dreamland—the one visited in our dreams and explored in this book and also referred to as the Dreamlands. As wondrous and mysterious as it may be in the eyes of a visitor, it is but one of countless dreamlands lying beyond that realm of sleep. Not only does every planet in the Solar

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Cthulhu Codicil: The Dreamlands System boast its own unique dreamland, but the unseen globes that circle distant stars such as Aldebaran and Fomalhaut have dreamlands unique to their alien inhabitants. To visit those dreamlands is to court madness and death—not only are the denizens incalculably alien to humans, with motives that human dreamers could never hope to comprehend, but the environments are utterly hostile to humans even in dreams. This is not to say that ways of reaching and surviving in these alien dreamlands exist, but they are beyond the focus of this work. There is but one dimension that has no dreamland lurking tantalizingly just beyond the veil of sleep. Beyond the ordered universe, with its fixed celestial laws and scientific rationale, where exists only unbridled chaos beyond imagination, is the court of Azathoth, the Daemon Sultan, where no dreams reach.

It has been suggested by a wise and elderly denizen of the Dreamlands that each dreamer has his own version of the realm that exists coterminous with the general Dreamlands. It is here, and only here, that dreams a dreamer forms into reality exist. In this book, however, there is but one Dreamlands, a Dreamlands shared by all earthly visitors.

Recommended Stories While we have endeavored to describe the atmosphere and sights of the Dreamlands, Gamemasters wishing to use the Dreamlands in their campaign are advised to read the source material before starting their campaign. We recommend the following stories: The Cats of Ulthar, Celephaïs, The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath, Ex Oblivione, Hypnos, The Other Gods, The Quest of Iranon, The Silver Key, Through the Gates of the Silver Key, and The White Ship. Entries in italics are, in our opinion, must-read tales.

A Guide to Using this Book Chapter One: Dreamers provides new options for player characters who wish to explore the Dreamlands, with new Skills, Talents, Flaws, Leagues, and weird science devices. Chapter Two: Magic & Manuscripts details the methods by one which may enter the Dreamlands, tells how a dreamer can shape the reality of the realm, and reveals new eldritch magic, books, and relics. Chapter Three: Gazetteer of the Dreamlands explores the lands and settlements of the Dreamlands. Chapter Four: Inhabitants of the Dreamlands describe the strange gods and horrors that dwell in the Dreamlands, notable persons, and a new fanatical cult. This introduction is but the tip of the iceberg concerning the Dreamlands. Now, it is time to turn out the lights, slip beneath the warm sheets, and focus your thoughts on the magnificent realm of the Dreamlands before your eyelids close and you drift into Morpheus’ domain.

Chapter One: Dreamers “And for long they talked of old times, having much to say because both were old dreamers and well versed in the wonders of incredible places.” —H. P. Lovecraft, The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath This chapter details new options for globetrotters who wish to pass beyond the wall of sleep and explore the Dreamlands.

New Motivations Bon Vivant Life is short and life is hard, but that doesn’t mean one cannot enjoy the good things in life. No matter their means, the character devotes their life to sociable and luxurious activities. The character is not only a frequent guest at parties, but is often at their heart. You earn Style points when your character enjoys a social occasion or convinces someone to throw off their reservations and enjoy a sociable and luxurious time.

Creation Your character is always attempting to construct something new. It could be something no one has ever seen before or just more of what you’ve previously created. As a result, nothing is worse than seeing your labors destroyed, and you will go to great lengths to

protect your creations. You earn a Style point when your character creates or replicates something or convinces others to help create something new.

Destruction Your character wants nothing more than to see things obliterated. They could be a militant nihilist, violent anarchist, or malevolent entity that wants to destroy things and ruin people. This does not necessarily mean sowing chaos, however. Your character could use their skills with surgical precision to cull the weak and the old in order to improve the lot of their community, or could view the eradication of governments and organizations as the only way to free people from oppression. But your character doesn’t really need an excuse to demolish something beautiful. Annihilation is its own reward.

Excellence Your character is continuously pushing to improve their skills and abilities. It’s more for personal satisfaction than for rewards or recognition, but those tend to come along the way. It’s not because your character has incredibly high standards either. They are perfectly comfortable making mistakes and starting from scratch as long as they learn something. Consequently, they hate being bored and wasting time, and will move on to a new challenge after mastering the current one. You earn Style points when your character sets a new

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Cthulhu Codicil: The Dreamlands personal record or encourages others to push themselves to do better.

New Skill Dreamlands Lore Special (see all notes below) Base Attribute: Intelligence This Skill covers knowledge of the Dreamlands, the land beyond the veil of sleep. It is an important Skill for those intending to visit the Dreamlands, for it can permit not only entrance to the realm, but allows one to shape it to one’s will. * Customs: Knowledge of the strange customs of the Dreamlands’ denizens. * History: Knowledge of the major and minor historical events of the Dreamlands. * Linguistics: See the Dreamlands Languages sidebar on page 144. * People: Knowledge of the movers and shakers in the Dreamlands. * Places: Knowledge of the geography and locations of the Dreamlands.

In Character Generation During character generation, only characters with the Adept Dreamer or Dreamlands Persona Talents may spend Skill points on the Skill. All characters may spend their initial Experience points on the Skill.

Gaining & Improving the Skill Unlike learning about a different country in the waking world, one cannot simply peruse a book or talk to a fellow traveller and hope to understand the nature of the Dreamlands. The only way to comprehend the Dreamlands is to experience their mystery and wonder. At the end of a session in which character have explored the Dreamlands, they may devote one or more Experience points gained that session to learning more about the Dreamlands. To separate them from normal experience points, we call these dedicated points Dreamlands

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Experience points (DXP). Only Dreamlands Experience points can be used to gain or improve the Dreamlands Skill in play.

New Talents Adept Dreamer Prerequisites: Willpower 3 Your character is an expert dreamer, able to pierce the veil of sleep and enter the Dreamlands with greater ease than others. Benefit: Your character has a +2 bonus to enter the Dreamlands (see p. 153). Normal: Your character has no bonuses to enter the Dreamlands. Advanced: You may buy this Talent up to three times. Your character gains a +4 bonus at second Level and a +8 bonus at third Level. In addition, +2 bonus to rolls to reshape the Dreamlands is gained at second Level and a +4 bonus at third Level.

Bloodline: Boyd Unique; Only available at character creation Prerequisites: None Rooted in Halifax, Nova Scotia, but now all but extinct, Boyds were known for seeking meaning in a meaningless world. Some became preachers, some explorers, others chose more scholarly lives. All seek something beyond the mundane. Benefit: Your character begins play with 1 level of Dreamlands Lore (choose Discipline), and Refuge 1 in addition to the regular four 0-level Skills and two 0-level Resources all characters receive. The character may also receive the Superior Dreamlands Persona Talent for free if they choose the Dreamlands Persona Talent at character creation. Normal: Your character receives no additional free Skills, Talents, or Resources.

Bloodline: Carter Unique; Only available at character creation Prerequisites: None The delicate and sensitive Carters have

Dreamers long suffered from strange visions, both when awake and asleep. Benefit: The globetrotter begins play with Art 0 (in one Discipline of their choice) and Empathy 0. These are in addition to the regular four 0-level Skills all characters receive. Once per adventure, your character can cast the Premonition ritual. Unlike the standard ritual, no Horror check is made. Furthermore, you pay only 10 Experience points to learn or improve the Adept Dreamer and Dreamlands Persona Talents. Normal: Your character has no additional Skills or knowledge of the Premonition ritual, and must pay 15 Experience points for the aforementioned Talents.

Bloodline: Elton Unique; Only available at character creation Prerequisites: None The Elton family has long served as lighthouse men. Even distant cousins have been drawn to work where shore meets sea. Benefit: The globetrotter begins play with Dreamlands Lore 0 and Pilot: Nautical 0 due to knowledge of the tides and weather. Also, you automatically gain Rank 1 in the Lighthouse Club (see below). If the character takes the Lighthouse Club as their sole League, they must take the two free 0-level Skills from those of the League as normal. Otherwise, they may select two starting Skills from those of either League. Normal: Your character receives no additional free Skills or Resource.

Dreamlands Persona Unique; Only available at character creation Prerequisites: None When explorers enter the Dreamlands, they do so as their normal self. This character has a separate persona inside the Dreamlands, a persona that may be vastly different from their mortal self. Benefit: You must create a second character to represent your Dreamlands persona. The alternate persona has four 0-Level Skills and two 0-Level Resources of their choice instead of the usual free Skills and Resources. Whenever you

are in the Dreamlands, you must always use this persona. The Dreamlands persona has no ability to enter the waking world—he exists only in dreams. The two characters have separate Experience point pools. Experience gained by one persona cannot be used to advance the other. Normal: Your character has no separate persona when within the Dreamlands and uses their regular statistics.

Superior Dreamlands Persona Unique; Only available at character creation Prerequisite: Dreamlands Persona As above, except the Dreamlands persona is more powerful than their waking self. The persona has 18 Attribute points, 20 Skill points, and begins with 3 Talents or Resources.

New Leagues The Feline Club As far as humans are concerned, domesticated cats (an oxymoron in the eyes of many cat “owners”) have their origins in ancient Egypt. Cats may know better, but they are not saying. As a general rule, cats fall under two categories—feral cats, which include those hard-working felines who root out rats and mice to feed their bellies, and pet cats, which may hunt but have owners to pamper them. The Feline Club is a League for cat fanciers of all ilks. By definition feral cats are not domesticated, but the modified door to the Club is always open to their kind (the term cat flap isn’t used until 1959). As well as bringing their pets to the League to be pampered and waited on, members travel the world in search of new breeds to add to their collections. Large cats, such as lions and leopards, are permitted under the Club’s regulations, but members face an automatic life time ban if their “pet” consumes another cat on the property. Once a year, the Club engages in a “pilgrimage” to the ruins of Bubastis in Egypt, an ancient center of feline worship.

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Cthulhu Codicil: The Dreamlands Languages of the Dreamlands A dreamer does not learn the various languages of the Dreamlands through the Linguistics Skill. Instead, for each level he gains through the Dreamlands Lore Skill, he may select one of the languages below. Additional languages may be learned at the cost of 1 Experience point per language. * Cat (also understood by terrestrial cats, though they usually speak it only in the Dreamlands), Common tongue of the Dreamlands, Ghast, Ghoul, or Zoog Each region also has a native tongue. Thus, the citizens of Ulthar speak Ulthan. Most humans, and many non-humans, understand the common tongue of the Dreamlands, an amalgam of ancient waking world languages, but favor their own given a choice. A dreamer speaking to a native in his own regional language gains a +1 bonus to Social rolls. This does not apply to the other languages listed above.

Starting Skill List: Animal Handling, Medicine, Science: Biology Special: A globetrotter who elects to take an Animal Handling Specialization at any time must take Cats as his first choice. Similarly, his first choice of a Medicine Specialization must be Veterinary.

The Lighthouse Club Lighthouses, those shining beacons that warn mariners away from danger and guide them home to port, have been in use since the time of the ancients. Modern lighthouses are far more powerful, and far more common. The Lighthouse Club caters to those who man the remote outposts and those who have a fascination with the structures. The latter travel the globe, photographing lighthouses and writing up travelogues, which are then displayed to other Leagues members on their return. One of the club’s pet ventures is the search for the remains of the Pharos, better known as the

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Lighthouse of Alexandria. The Lighthouse Club maintains close ties to the Mariners Club. Starting Skill List: Pick two from Art: Photography, Athletics, Craft: Carpentry, Craft: Electrics, Expeditions, Science: Engineering

The Morpheus Club The ability to shape dreams, rather than be a passive witness, is rare. The Morpheus Club was founded as a place where travellers to the Dreamlands could gather and discuss their travels in the realm where dreams are made manifest. Most members, who call themselves Oneiri (“Dreams”), are artists, imaginative souls trying to capture the beauty and horror they have witnessed in the Dreamlands in mundane media. Others are explorers who seek to uncover great wonders and strange lore found only in the land of Morpheus. A small few have tired of their waking lives, and desire more than anything to become a permanent inhabitant of the Dreamlands. Special Requirement: Dreamlands Lore 4 Starting Skill List: Art (pick one), Diplomacy, Empathy, Expeditions, Performance

New Flaws Mental Daydreamer: Your character is a daydreamer, their mind forever wandering off from mundane activities and thoughts. Often the daydreams are petty, but sometimes they include strange vistas and thoughts. You earn a Style point whenever your character makes a major mistake because they were daydreaming instead of concentrating on an activity. Insomnia: Your character suffers from regular problems sleeping. This may be mild, causing delayed sleep, interrupted sleep, or early waking, resulting in a -2 to rolls requiring concentration and entering the Dreamlands. It may be severe and involve all three impediments to sleep, resulting in a -4 penalty. Long bouts of sleeplessness may result in emotional behavior, memory problems, and auditory hal-

Dreamers lucinations. You earn a Style point (2 if severe) any time your character’s insomnia inhibits success or causes social problems. No Imagination: Your character lacks imagination in everything they do. They are not stupid—they just lack the creativity to step outside the box and take a different view of the world. The character has –2 to enter or shape the Dreamlands and to all rolls requiring imagination, such as ones related to art or weird science. You earn a Style point whenever your character‘s lack of imagination causes serious problems for them or their friends. Somnambulist: Your character walks in their sleep. Most often their nocturnal activities are utterly mundane, but they may engage in strange behavior. You earn a Style point whenever your character‘s sleep walking causes serious problems for them or their friends.

Social Decadent: When it comes to luxury, your character is self-indulgent, rarely questioning the financial or moral cost. For them, only the best will do. You earn a Style point whenever your character‘s self-indulgence or demand for luxury causes them or their friends problems, or forces others to overspend. Hedonist: Your character desires pleasure more than anything else in the world, Whether or not they are morally corrupt depends on the individual, but the desire for more pleasurable experiences can stain the soul. You earn a Style point whenever your character‘s pursuit of pleasure causes them or their friends problems. Noblesse Oblige: Your character believes that those with more wealth, power, and social standing should be more honorable, generous, and respectable to those beneath them. Your character earns a Style point whenever selflessly helping the less fortunate or protecting them from being oppressed by someone in a position of power. Xenophile: Your character is fascinated by anything strange or unusual and will go out of their way to learn about a foreign culture or spend time with someone from far away. You earn a Style point whenever your character’s bizarre obsession causes trouble.

Xenophobia: Your character intensely dislikes anything exotic or unfamiliar and will go out of their way to avoid it or keep it away. You earn a Style point whenever your character’s narrow-minded intolerance causes trouble for them or their friends.

New Gear Hashish Hashish is cannabis resin. When taken, the user may experience time and space distortions. Combined with its effect as a sedative, it grants dreamers a longer time to explore the Dreamlands.

Opium Opium is the base for morphine and heroin, and can be purchased from many pharmacists. Dreamers use it to aid sleep and alter the state of their mind, with many claiming it produces an out-of-body experience. In game terms, it aids entry to the Dreamlands.

New Weird Science Dream Inducer Artifact 2 Leagues: Morpheus Club Created by the Morpheus Club, the Dream Inducer is not a sleep machine, in that it does nothing to aid one falling to sleep. Rather, placed on the head of a sleeper, it stimulates the centers of the brain corresponding to imagination and dreaming. Through this device, even the most untrained mind may be able to venture into the Dreamlands for a short while. Enhancements: Increased Attribute: +1 Charisma (+1 Enhancement)*, Increased Attribute: +1 Will (+1 Enhancement)* * Only applies for the purposes of entering the Dreamlands.

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Cthulhu Codicil: The Dreamlands Addicted Artist

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Archetype: Artist; Motivation: Love; Style: 3 Primary Attributes: Body 2, Dexterity 2, Strength 2, Charisma 3, Intelligence 3, Willpower 3 Secondary Attributes: Size 0, Move 4, Perception 6, Initiative 5, Defense 4, Stun 2, Health 5, Sanity 5 Skills: Art: Painting 5 (Dreamlands’ landscapes 6), Athletics 4, Brawl 4, Con 4, Diplomacy 5, Dreamlands Lore 6 (Places 7), Elder Lore: Locations 4, Gambling 5, Survival 4 Talents: Adept Dreamer 2 (+4 to enter or shape Dreamlands) Resources: Follower 0 (Druggist), Rank 0 (The Morpheus Club; +1 Social bonus) Flaws: Addiction: Opium (–2 penalty on all rolls after overindulging or going too long

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without a fix until he sobers up or overcomes his addiction; +1 Style point whenever his addiction hurts him or someone he cares about) Weapons: Punch 4N

Character Background Do you know a landscape painting is? I mean, what it truly is? Certainly it is a snap shot of time, a moment forever frozen, yet it is also a doorway to questions. You have seen Constable’s The Hay Wain, I presume? Is the wagon stuck in the stream? Has the owner stored his hay or is he heading to the field for a hard day’s labor? Is the second gentleman a compatriot, a stranger providing assistance because the wagon has bogged down or point-

Dreamers ing out directions? There is no truth save one’s own truth. I have long been troubled by strange dreams, of vistas wondrous and terrible, similar to those of our ordinary world and yet somehow alien. At first I could glean only glimpses of these landscapes, vague impressions that my oils and watercolors could never hope to show in their true glory. Like Tantalus, my desires were forever just out of reach. I fell to despondency. Not matter how hard I tried, I could do no justice to my visions, and my early attempts were mocked for their crudity. A dark malaise took me and gripped my soul like a vise. I sank into the fragrant embrace of opium, which become my salvation and doom in the same breath. Under the drug my conscious mind slipped aside like a heavy blanket, leaving my unconscious mind to escape its earthly bonds and roam into higher dimensions, dimensions of vibrant colors and eerie sounds. I wandered lost in those strange vistas I had seen before, but now they were vivid. No longer did I gaze upon castles and villages, swathes of forests and meandering rivers. I walked among them, touched them with my hands. On my awakening I took to my studio and remained there for three days, taking no sustenance save for a little water. Work consumed me, for with the image burned in my mind I strove to recreate one instant of it on canvas. That my work was still ridiculed as fanciful no longer mattered, for I knew I had taken but the smallest steps into a new world. Despite my need to return to that alien land, the Dreamlands of which I have since read of in certain arcane volumes, I was forced to accept mundane commissions, for in those days the Dreamlands were still but hazy nocturnal visions without the opium to awaken my mind. It was on a later voyage that I saw her. The merest glance was enough to send my heart soaring, for surely it has been pierced by Cupid’s fabled arrow. Like my early dreams she was a ghost, half-seen and half-felt. No matter how I tried I could not reach her—for each step I took closer, she seemed to slip further from my grasp. But such beauty! Would Helen of Troy had such looks her face would have

launched a million ships whose crews would have gladly thrown themselves into Hades should she have asked it of them. A thousand times I have painted her and a thousand times I have torn the canvas in half. To portray her through mundane media is to mar her heavenly perfection. I would argue that even a photograph, if such could be captured, would make her ugly, for it could not capture her radiance. Those days of inexperienced dreaming have passed now. Time and longing have altered my mind, and I can now enter the Dreamlands without the need for a pipe of opium. Ha, I say that with the tongue of a fool, for the poppy would never let me slither from its clutches so easily! Drug-drenched mind craves it and without it my sleep is disturbed and my dreams come fitfully. Years have passed. I have walked the streets of magnificent Celephaïs and asked of its citizens, spoken to wise men whose years cannot be reckoned in mortal terms, and called upon the aid of the felines of Ulthar, and yet no one knows who the woman who haunts my dreams and waking days is. Still, there is perhaps a glimmer of hope. In my recent dreams I have seen a quaint cottage with roses climbing the walls and a contented cat sitting on the porch. There I have seen the woman, clad in silk gowns laced with gold thread, standing at the door, gazing outward as if awaiting the return of her beloved. That cottage does not exist, for I have become conversant with the many locales of the Dreamlands and cannot find it. It exists only in my opium-laced dreams and yet I know it is real. All I have to do is turn it from a shadow of my mind and will it into creation. Then, perhaps, I shall stand face-to-face with the woman and profess for her the deepest love, for she is the woman of my dreams.

Roleplaying The girl of your dreams exists, but only in the Dreamlands. You have seen her only from afar, yet she has captured your heart. Finding her and meeting her are major aspirations, yet you know your quest to find true love will be long and arduous.

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Cthulhu Codicil: The Dreamlands Friend to Cats

little

re dealing all the

Archetype: Academic; Motivation: Wisdom; Style: 3 Primary Attributes: Body 2, Dexterity 3, Strength 2, Charisma 3 (4), Intelligence 3, Willpower 2 Secondary Attributes: Size 0, Move 5, Perception 5, Initiative 6, Defense 5, Stun 2, Health 4, Sanity 5 Skills: Academics: History 5 (Ancient Egypt 6), Animal Handling 5 (Cats 6), Athletics 4, Brawl 4, Diplomacy 4 (5), Empathy 4 (5) (Body Language 5 (6)), Investigation 5, Linguistics 5 (Translation 6), Survival 5 Talents: Animal Affinity (+1 Charisma when dealing with animals)* Resources: Contacts 0 (Cats; +1 Social bonus), Follower 0 (Kitten of Ulthar), Rank 0

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(The Feline Society; +1 Social bonus), Rank 0 (The Osiris Club; +1 Social bonus) Flaws: Obsession: Cleanliness (+1 Style point whenever your obsession causes you to do something dangerous or endanger someone else’s life) Weapons: Punch 0N * Bonus already included in Animal Handling Skill. Marked in parentheses for other Skills.

Character Background Two things have been constant in my life—Egypt and cats. My father was a diplomat of little importance and was posted to dusty Cairo when I was but a child. While he was engaged at work, my mother and I would spend

Dreamers our days touring the sites of that ancient and mysterious land with our governess. Monuments that have withstood thousands of years of neglect, ageless pharaohs whose sightless eyes have watched the millennia pass before them, and columns and walls carved and painted with strange symbols—all left an indelible impression on my growing mind. It was no surprise to either of my parents that at university I chose to study history, focusing on Ancient Egypt. We never owned a cat until we returned from Cairo, though one lived in our house in Egypt. It was no pet—it came and went to its own wants and never tolerated petting. According to our housekeeper, a native of that time-soaked land, the cat had been in the house for as long as she could remember. It was strange beast, utterly devoid of fur, of such wrinkled appearance that it seemed far older than a cat had any right to be, and with glittering eyes that, in my youthful imagination, had witnessed the long-lost days of the pharaohs in person. Once I even dreamed that the beast, which had no name save mau (being the ancient Egyptian word for a cat) had sharpened its claws on the Great Pyramid even as the sweat-drenched slaves were placing the first stones. Since then I have always had a cat. Even in university I owned one, for I found its purring soothing and, having little interest in social activities. Such was my intent on becoming an Egyptologist, that it became my companion. Given my twin interests, I spent a season excavating at Bubastis, once the center for the cult of the Egyptian cat goddess, located in the mosquito-infested Nile Delta. It was several weeks after my arrival that I was discovered prone at the base of a statue of Bastet muttering incoherently. My colleagues thought I had succumbed to the heat of the sun, for it was indeed fierce, and suffered a bout of malaria, though I have never since suffered from that accursed affliction. Neither explanation could account for my ripped clothes or my ragged fingernails. I thought my youthful imagination had long since been replaced with rational thought. Indeed, until before my “episode” I was regarded

as a most sober individual and not one prone to flights of fancy. Yet I repeatedly suffered nightmares in which I was running through passageways beneath the crumbling city, after having discovered a set of stone steps inside the remnants of a temple. My mind rebels at having to recall any details, but I recall something—something truly terrible that should not exist even in the worst layer of hell—of running in terror to save my sanity, and of smells that I compare to the musty smell of mummified pharaohs. In my fevered dream I can picture a figure both horrid and beautiful, a woman with the head of a cat and surrounded by a host of hissing felines. The profane death that inhabited that catacomb stalked ever closer, but the figure touched me with a golden ankh and I was bathed in comforting light. Of what else may have transpired I can recount nothing. Since that day I have been afflicted, if that is the right word, by strange behavior. Like the cat I have become fastidious about my cleanliness. Indeed, it has become a compulsion. My alienist has told me that it a passing phase brought about by my “illness” in Egypt, a way my mind copes with the mental strain. You may think me insane, and for sure I could never reveal this to my alienist, but I can understand the language of cats. Not their enigmatic body language and meowing, but their actual speech! They have told me of strange worlds where cats venture at night and hinted of a terrible wisdom lurking behind the veil of reality, another reality that will either bless me with knowledge beyond the ken of men or damn me to total insanity. I fear to look, but such wisdom draws me toward it.

Roleplaying You have stood before the Great Sphinx, gazing forever to the eastern horizon, and watched the knowing smile on cats’ faces when they think no-one is looking, and wondered what sights they have witnessed. There is a deeper mystery beyond the world of men, wisdom lost to mankind, assuming it even knew of its existence in the first place, and you intend to find it.

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Cthulhu Codicil: The Dreamlands Seeker of Justice

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Archetype: Scientist; Motivation: Justice; Style: 3 Primary Attributes: Body 2, Dexterity 3, Strength 3, Charisma 2, Intelligence 3, Willpower 2 Secondary Attributes: Size 0, Move 6, Perception 5, Initiative 6, Defense 5, Stun 2, Health 4, Sanity 4 Skills: Brawl 4, Dreamlands Lore 4, Firearms 5 (Pistols 6), Intimidation 5 (Torture 6), Investigation 5, Science: Engineering 4, Science: Physics 6, Streetwise 4 Talents: Adept Dreamer (+2 to enter or alter Dreamlands), Dreamlands’ Persona (see below) Resources: Follower 0 (Lab Assistant), Rank 0 (Temporal Society; +1 Social bonus)

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Flaws: Dying (–2 penalty to all rolls whenever your disease acts up; +1 Style point whenever you are incapacitated by sickness or forced to confront your mortality) Weapons: Punch 4N, Heavy revolver 9L

Dreamlands’ Persona Archetype: Aristocrat; Motivation: Justice; Style: 3 Primary Attributes: Body 2, Dexterity 2, Strength 2, Charisma 4, Intelligence 3, Willpower 2 Secondary Attributes: Size 0, Move 4, Perception 5, Initiative 5, Defense 4, Stun 2, Health 4, Sanity 6 Skills: Academics: Law 5, Bureaucracy 4, Di-

Dreamers plomacy 6 (Leadership 7), Dreamlands’ Lore 5 (People 6), Empathy 5, Intimidation 5, Melee 5, Performance 5, Ride 4 Talents: Inspire (Grants +2 Skill bonus to allies) Resources: Contacts 0 (Dreamlands nobility; +1 bonus), Refuge 1 (Large townhouse in Ulthar), Status 0 (Minor noble; +1 Social bonus) Flaws: Noblesse Oblige (+1 Style point whenever you selflessly help the less fortunate or protect them from being oppressed by someone in a position of power) Weapons: Punch 0N, Arming sword 7L

Character Background I am dying. It seems the appropriate time to try and unburden my soul. I was a happy man once, a scientist of little renown but blessed with a wonderful spouse who meant more to me than anything else. When the police informed me of my spouse’s death at the hands of persons unknown, I was beyond distraught. Had I been at their side at the time I might have saved them, for I possessed a revolver and some aptitude at using it. Through science I might yet prevail. Many have devoted their lives to traveling through time and all have failed. I was to be no different. As attempt after attempt proved futile and my frustration grew, a dark stain began to fester on my soul even as cancer, unbeknownst to me, began to consume my body. Desire to save my spouse from their ordained fate was replaced with a terrible desire for revenge on the perpetrators. Where the police had failed with their questions, hard coin had opened lips. Within a short time I had a list of names and addresses. Logic told me to inform the police of my information, yet I knew that the courts demanded evidence and placed little weight on the words of scoundrels and the poor, especially since they had been paid to provide me with names. No, there could be no justice through that means. Thus it was that I became Death to those who had taken from me the only thing that I had ever loved. The burning fires that raged

in my soul calmed my nerves and steadied my hand. I was immune to their pleas for clemency as I ended their miserable, worthless lives. Six men died in short order, but the fires of vengeance were not quelled. I was not the only person to have suffered and I would not be the last. If vengeance was the Lord’s prerogative, I had chosen to become His right hand. As hard as my heart had become, part of my soul still yearned for true justice. Strange dreams became the norm—visions in which I was no vigilante craving revenge but a just and honest lord in the old style, one driven to uphold the law of the land through peaceful means and ensure the wicked were duly punished in accordance with the law. At first I took my dreams to be nothing more than my conscience struggling to exert itself and the visions a metaphor. It would be long months before I came to understand the strange truth. As a scientist I scoffed at the Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde when I first read it, for a man could no more separate his lighter and darker natures than one could travel through time. Now, I understand that I have become two separate beings. My Hyde was my waking self, a monster of wrath and hatred, devoid of pity and condemned to darkness. My. Jekyll, wherein dwelt my virtues, existed only in the world of dreams. I still seek to shatter the time barrier, though I admit I am spending longer and longer periods researching what little earthly lore exists concerning the Dreamlands. It is said that rare dreamers may transcend mortal death and exist forever in that strange world. I cannot redeem my soul in this world, but perhaps there is hope for me yet elsewhere.

Roleplaying Your are a believer in justice, but one divided by the twin aspects of that desire. In the working world, you seek justice through violence, acts that have left your soul as stained as your ailing body. In the Dreamlands you have a different aspect of justice—a noble who holds the law in high regard and who seeks to protect the underprivileged through the law.

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Cthulhu Codicil: The Dreamlands Sample Henchmen

Flaws: Gossip (+1 Style point whenever they spread gossip that causes trouble) Weapons: Punch 0N

Author of Weird Fiction

Kitten of Ulthar

Follower 0 Primary Attributes: Body 2, Dexterity 1, Strength 1, Charisma 1, Intelligence 2, Willpower 2 Secondary Attributes: Size 0, Move 2, Perception 4, Initiative 3, Defense 3, Stun 2, Health 4, Sanity 3 Skills: Art: Writing 4 (Weird Fiction 5), Investigation 4 (Research 5) Talents/Resources: None Flaws: Paranoia (+1 Style point whenever their fear gets the better of them) Weapons: Punch 0N

Follower 0 Primary Attributes: Body 1, Dexterity 3, Strength 1, Charisma 1, Intelligence 2, Willpower 1 Secondary Attributes: Size –2, Move 4, Perception 3, Initiative 5, Defense 6, Stun 1, Health 0, Sanity 2 Skills: Athletics 4, Brawl 2, Stealth 6 Talents/Resources: None Flaws: Animal (+1 Style point whenever its being a cat hampers it or causes trouble) Weapons: Claw 2L

Dreamer Follower 1 Primary Attributes: Body 2, Dexterity 2, Strength 1, Charisma 2, Intelligence 2, Willpower 3 Secondary Attributes: Size 0, Move 3, Perception 5, Initiative 4, Defense 4, Stun 2, Health 5, Sanity 5 Skills: Diplomacy 4, Dreamlands Lore 4, Performance 4, Streetwise 4, Survival 4 Talents: Adept Dreamer (+2 to enter or alter the Dreamlands Resources: None Flaws: Daydreamer (+1 Style point whenever they make a mistake because of daydreaming) Weapons: Punch 0N

Druggist Follower 0 Primary Attributes: Body 2, Dexterity 1, Strength 1, Charisma 1, Intelligence 3, Willpower 1 Secondary Attributes: Size 0, Move 2, Perception 4, Initiative 4, Defense 3, Stun 2, Health 3, Sanity 2 Skills: Craft: Pharmacology 5, Investigation 4, Science: Chemistry 5 Talents/Resources: None

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Priestess of Bast Follower 0 Primary Attributes: Body 1, Dexterity 2, Strength 1, Charisma 2, Intelligence 2, Willpower 1 Secondary Attributes: Size 0, Move 3, Perception 3, Initiative 4, Defense 3, Stun 1, Health 2, Sanity 3 Skills: Academics: Religion 4 (Ancient Egyptian 5), Animal Handling 4 (Cats 5) Talents/Resources: None Flaws: Superstitious (+1 Style point whenever her eccentricities cause her trouble) Weapons: Punch 0N

Young Ghoul Follower 0 Primary Attributes: Body 2, Dexterity 1, Strength 2, Charisma 0, Intelligence 2, Willpower 2 Secondary Attributes: Size 0, Move 3, Perception 4, Initiative 3, Defense 3, Stun 2, Health 4, Sanity 1 Skills: Athletics 4, Brawl 4, Elder Lore 3 Talents/Resources: None Flaws: Inhuman (–2 penalty on all rolls where appearance is a factor; +1 Style point whenever its inhuman appearance causes problems) Weapons: Punch 0N

Chapter Two: Magic & Manuscripts “In light slumber he descended the seventy steps to the cavern of flame and talked of this design to the bearded priests Nasht and Kaman-Thah.” —H. P. Lovecraft, The DreamQuest of Unknown Kadath Close your eyes, silence your mind, and dream deeply, for now it is time to leave behind the mundane world and begin your journey into the Dreamlands. In this chapter you’ll learn how to enter the Dreamlands, new eldritch magic, and discover eldritch tomes and relics found nowhere on Earth.

Entering the Dreamlands For most dreamers, the Dreamlands are forever out of reach, tantalizingly glimpsed for brief moments or as a distant vista, if at all. The key to unlock the door betwixt realms is imagination. Children, their minds full of wonder and hope, may inadvertently slip into the Dreamlands without forethought, while the elderly are set in their ways and have forgotten the potential of their childlike imaginations. True dreamers, those with the will, strength of personality, and imagination to control and sculpt the nature of their dreams, are rare. Of these, only a handful have the ability to pierce the veil with ease. In order to enter the Dreamlands, the first step is to fall asleep. The character must then

make a Difficulty 4 Charisma + Willpower or Dreamlands Lore roll (player’s choice). Only one attempt may be made per cycle of natural sleep—that is, each 24 hours. A second attempt may be made in the same period only if the dreamer turns to opium to alter their state of mind. Once the mind has reached the necessary state, the dreamer (or their persona if they have a different guise in dreams) appears at the seventy steps that lead down to the Cavern of Flame (see p. 161, the gateway to the Dreamlands proper. Situation

Modifier

Flaws Elderly

–4

No Imagination

–2

Young

+4

Talents Adept Dreamer

+2, +4, or +8

Other Per pipe of opium

+2

Sleeping near an overlapping area*

+2

* Certain places overlap the waking world and the Dreamlands (see below). Opting to sleep in one of these places makes it easier to slip into the Dreamlands.

Other Methods Sleeping is the easiest means of entering

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Cthulhu Codicil: The Dreamlands Death in the Dreamlands Even the most experienced dreamer knows that death haunts the Dreamlands. Yes, many of the inhabitants are impervious to the passing of centuries, even millennia, but they can be killed. How death in the Dreamlands affects the globetrotter is not predetermined by the rules, but is instead a choice the individual Gamemaster must make. We’ve listed some options below. * Upon death of the dream form, the dreamer is automatically expelled from the Dreamlands. Death has severed the connection to the strange realm, leaving them unable to ever reach it again. * Death in the Dreamlands kills the sleeper’s body. Essentially, they die in their sleep of unknown causes. Time to make a new character. * Death does not kill the sleeper, but their brain is dead, leaving him in a permanent coma. The player needs a new character, but there may be a means of restoring the soul to the body—the Dreamlands are strange and there is great power to be harnessed there. Recovering from death should never be easy. Such an event should occur no more than once in a campaign, should involve a lengthy and perilous quest (something akin to Randolph Carter’s epic quest), and involve some sort of permanent penalty even if successful (such as –1 Body or Intelligence rating).

Death in the Real World What if the sleeper dies in the real world, though? For most, they die in the Dreamlands as well—when brain activity ceases, they can no longer dream. Characters with the Adept Dreamer 3 Talent can ignore the death of their physical body, but only if they are in the Dreamlands at the time. Their persona is forever severed from the waking world, however. They now exist as a denizen of the Dreamlands for eternity—well, unless their Dreamland form is also killed, of course.

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the Dreamlands, but there are other means by which mortals may make the journey.

Overlapping Areas The waking world and that of the Dreamlands are not entirely separated by the veil of sleep. There are places where the two overlap, where an incautious traveler or brave explorer may find himself physically moving betwixt realms. A walker in a remote part of a thick forest, for instance, may find they have accidentally stumbled into the Enchanted Wood. Crawling through a hollow in a graveyard might bring one to the edge of the Gug’s accursed realm, which even the Ghouls avoid. Characters who enter the Dreamlands through one of these areas find themselves in a most perilous state, for they are physically within the Dreamlands. A globetrotter who sleeps near one of these sites can enter the Dreamlands without descending the Seventy Steps to the Cavern of Flame. Instead, they enter the Dreamlands in its convergent point. Entrance in this manner is dangerous, for all such locations are located in the darkest regions of the Dreamlands.

The White Ship When the moon is fat and high in the night sky, a strange vessel can sometimes be seen in the south. No wind or wave can hamper its passage, for the vessel glides smoothly and silently over even the roughest seas. Often appearing as an archaic galley, but sometimes in the guise of other types of historical ship, its wood, sails, and strange oars are a pure white. Often the White Ship passes by, its course unknown to its mysterious captain. For others, it anchors and extends a bridge of moonbeams, granting them passage through to the Dreamlands. Although a passenger may believe this route allows physical entrance to the Dreamlands, one, in fact, be asleep before the White Ship can enter a dream. The only benefit to venturing forth via the White Ship is that passage to the Dreamlands requires no roll (making it very handy if the globetrotters are not skilled dreamers).

Magic & Manuscripts Maximum Length of Visit Time within the Dreamlands has no direct relationship with the waking world. The amount of time a dreamer may spend in the Dreamlands before being forced back to the waking world depends on their training. The table below shows the amount of time a dreamer may remain in the Dreamlands for each hour that passes in the waking world. Thus, a novice dreamer can spend one day in the Dreamlands for each hour of sleep, while the most skilled dreamers can remain for one year per hour of sleep. Not every moment of sleep involves dreaming. The maximum number of hours a dreamer can remain in a dreaming state is equal to their Body + Charisma. Using hashish adds +2 hours to the total. Training Untrained Adept Dreamer 1 Talent

Period One week

Taking & Returning with Items The Dreamlands exist, as the name clearly implies, only in dreams. Characters who enter it from a dream state or via the White Ship cannot bring items from the waking world with them. Any items acquired within the Dreamlands perform exactly as the real world item would. Thus, hitting someone with an axe causes wounds, while a lantern provides light. However, such items cannot be brought back from the Dreamlands. The only means to take items from the real world in the Dreamlands and vice versa is to find one of those rare sites that overlap both existences. Entering through that means, of course, exposes one’s body to harm and potentially death.

One month

Adept Dreamer 2 Talent

One year

Adept Dreamer 3 Talent

One decade*

* Should the dreamer die in the waking world, he lives on in the Dreamlands. See the sidebar Death in the Dreamlands.

Exiting Exiting from the Dreamlands is automatic when the dreamer is awakened or the maximum number of hours passes. No matter how or from where they leave the Dreamlands, the sleeper always awakes wherever their physical body lies. A dreamer who desires to leave the Dreamlands early, perhaps because they are in a dangerous situation or because their adventure is over, cannot simply attempt to wake themselves. Only through passing beyond the Cavern of Flame and ascending the stairs that lead to the waking world, or locating one of the few overlapping regions that offer passage between the waking world and the Dreamlands, can one voluntarily leave the realm. Assuming the dreamer has not died,

wounds taken in the Dreamlands are automatically healed once the dreamer awakens. Wounds taken while physically in the Dreamlands remain until healed naturally.

Shaping the Dreamlands “But three nights afterward Kuranes came again to Celephaïs. As before, he dreamed first of the village that was asleep or dead, and of the abyss down which one must float silently; then the rift appeared again, and he beheld the glittering minarets of the city, and saw the graceful galleys riding at anchor in the blue harbour, and watched the gingko trees of Mount Aran swaying in the sea-breeze.” —H. P. Lovecraft, Celephaïs Without the interference of dreamers from the waking world, nothing changes in the Dreamlands. No buildings are raised, no new communities formed, and no new kings crowned. Only through the power of dreamers

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Cthulhu Codicil: The Dreamlands Technological Base Time passes in the Dreamlands, generations of inhabitants die and are replaced by the next, and yet the inhabitants are forever unable to progress technologically. Their technology is roughly equivalent to Earth’s medieval period, with swords and bows the height of weaponry. No matter how skilled a dreamer might be, and no matter how insistent a player might be, they can create nothing beyond the medieval period. For instance, a dreamer cannot construct a flashlight in the Dreamlands. Even if they have the necessary materials and know-how to create one from scratch, it would not function. Equally, bringing one from the real world also fails. Again, the flashlight would fail to work. The technological base also affects buildings, be they constructed by hand or through dreaming (see below). For the most part, the Dreamlands is a realm of towering spires, colonnaded porticos, onion domes, and simple houses of stone or brick. The Dreamlands’ reality simply cannot accept modern buildings, with any such structures rapidly collapsing into rubble in the early stages of construction.

can such things occur, and even then they are rare, for few have the ability to forever reshape the Dreamlands.

Creation Anew So what can a dreamer do to reshape the Dreamlands? They can alter the landscape, creating valleys, mountains, forests, and islands, and raise buildings, villages, cities, or palaces. A dreamer cannot reshape the Dreamlands while in the realm. Instead, the intention must be visualized while entering light sleep, before entering the Dreamlands proper. Likewise, once having seen the image in their mind, it cannot be altered. Only when next in the Dreamlands will the dreamer know whether or not the vision has become reality.

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Forming the Dream A globetrotter can create only one change with each dream and it must be located at a single site. That is, they can create an entire city of wondrous spires, but cannot create two mundane buildings in separate locations. In order to have any chance of success, a dreamer must have the Adept Dreamer Talent—the average mind may, on occasion, enter the Dreamlands, but they cannot alter it. They also need considerable self-belief and willpower. The maximum change a dreamer can bring about depends on the lowest of their Charisma and Willpower, as shown in the table below— the strength of will needed to reshape the Dreamlands must be backed up by the self-belief that one can perform the feat. In most instances, it is the Dreamlands, not the dreamer, that decides where the new feature is added. This prevents the sudden appearance of new towns and cities in inhabited regions. At the Gamemaster’s discretion, a single building or manor house may be added to an existing settlement. The dreamer then makes a Dreamlands: Places roll (Difficulty 4). Only one success is required, though success does not automatically mean the feature becomes part of the Dreamlands, however. Attribute

Example

2

Single, small building; a tree

3

Village or manor house; a low hill or depression

4

Town; a high hill or small wood

5

City; a modest forest or low mountain

6

Magnificent city in a wide, fertile valley or nestled against a towering mountain

Affixing the Dream In order to make it a permanent fixture, the dreamer must expend 10 Dreamlands Experience points times the minimum Attribute. More importantly, perhaps, until the dream has

Magic & Manuscripts become reality, the dreamer cannot attempt to shape the Dreamlands any further. With each visit to the Dreamlands, including the instance when making the aforementioned roll, a maximum of 10 DXP times Adept Dreamer Level may be added to a pool for this purpose. Until the full number of Experience points are spent, the dreamer (and only the dreamer) can see nothing but tantalizing glimpses of their creation, the vision moving closer and becoming more tangible as the number of spent Experience points increases. The short story Celephaïs depicts this process and is a must-read for would-be dreamers. With regard to the natives, how they view the new addition depends on how long it takes to fix the dream and where the feature will stand. Even if created in a single visit, the change is not some sudden materialization of a feature or settlement where none existed before. For instance, a “new” manor house on the outskirts of Ulthar causes the citizens no alarm. In their eyes, the building has existed for centuries, but has always been vacant. That a new occupant has taken up residence is a pleasant surprise rather than a shock. In the case of larger changes, ones that take more time to create, the inhabitants initially know nothing of the new feature, save for what the dreamer tells them. That some strange new location might exist on the fringes of civilization is not a surprise—the Dreamlands have been shaped in this manner since the first humans dreamed and there are many places as yet unvisited. As the dream becomes more fixed (i.e., more Dreamlands Experience points are spent), so they tell of stories of a fabulous city, grand temple, or mysterious forest, though none can tell where it lies. Once the dream is permanently anchored in the Dreamlands, it becomes a part of their lore. Example: Anthony dreams of a manor house in the form of his ancestral home, Boyd Manor, which burned down in the real world. He has Charisma 4, Willpower 3, and Adept Dreamer 1. A manor requires a minimum Attribute Level of 3, so Anthony meets the requirements. Having successfully made his Dreamlands:

Places roll, Anthony sees a vague glimpse of the new Boyd Manor. In order to fix it, however, he needs to spend a total 30 Dreamlands Experience points (Attribute 3 x 10). Since Anthony has Adept Dreamer 1, he can spend a maximum of 10 Dreamlands Experience points each time he visits the Dreamlands. No matter how many Dreamlands Experience points he has able to spend, it would take a minimum of three nights dreaming for the fix to be complete.

Limits to Reshaping There are limits to how one can shape the Dreamlands. One cannot “dream up” objects, willing them to materialize in thin air, for instance. Likewise, one cannot alter one’s body simply by wishing to be stronger or more dextrous. Nor can a dreamer alter the Dreamlands’ reality so that he becomes a noble. The latter two are possible in the Dreamlands, but only through the expenditure of Experience points, just as in the waking world. One very important thing to note is that a dreamer cannot destroy anything, at least not through dreaming alone. Only dreamers who have sworn allegiance to Nyarlathotep can bring destruction on the Dreamlands, and even then their interference is rare. Of course, a character can destroy things through physical actions—putting a flaming torch to a cottage will result in it burning down, for example.

Eldritch Magic Mark of Hypnos Rank 4 Hypnos is the god of sleep and thus closely associated with the Dreamlands. The ritual that bears his name is a curse that prevents those marked with his sign from finding solace in sleep. The magician makes a Casting roll with a Difficulty equal to the victim’s Willpower rating. The victim cannot sleep for two days,

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Cthulhu Codicil: The Dreamlands plus an extra two days for each additional success on the Casting roll. For each day the victim cannot sleep, he suffers 1N damage. As with standard sleep deprivation, the fatigue remains until the character rests or sleeps for eight hours plus the number of wounds he has suffered. The Mark of Hypnos appears as a faint physical blemish on the victim’s forehead. Detecting it requires a Perception roll (Difficulty 3), while recognizing it for what it is requires an Elder Lore (any Discipline) roll. Range modifiers apply to the Mark of Hypnos ritual.

Nightmare Rank 4 Whereas the Fear ritual generates a short-

lived vision of terror, this insidious ritual torments the magician’s victim with night after night of nightmares. The caster makes a Casting roll modified for range and the desired Difficulty for the victim to to overcome the effect of the nightmare upon waking. If they roll more successes than the target’s Willpower, the victim suffers a nightmare each time they sleep. The target must endure one night of bad dreams, plus one additional night equal to the number of additional successes. The victim makes a Body + Willpower roll each morning upon waking. If this roll is failed, the victim has suffered a restless night and suffers one point of nonlethal damage from fatigue. Nightmare

Modifier

Difficulty 1

+2

Difficulty 2

+0

Difficulty 3

–2

Difficulty 4

–4

Difficulty 5

–6

Eldritch Books Brick Cylinders of Kadatheron Language: Unknown; Author: Unknown; Published: Unknown; Complexity: 3; Horror: 2; Mythos: 1; Contents: Call Bokrug, Commune Bokrug Of the wondrous cities of Thraa, Ilarnek, and Kadatheron, nothing now exists. Once they stood in the land of Mnar, on the banks of River Ai, but not even the greatest dreamer has been able to discover them. All that remains are hundreds of brick cylinders inscribed with an unknown variant of cuneiform, a precursor perhaps of the text of the Babylonians who came later. They are not eldritch texts in the traditional sense, but are rather commentaries, historical documents, and matters of trade that speak of life in that distant age. The only Mythos-related events concern a description of the strange inhabitants of Ib and their horrendous god, and of the fate that befell Sarnath.

Magic & Manuscripts The Enigma of Leng

Seven Cryptical Books of Hsan

Language: English; Author: Sir Gregory Syme; Published: 1875; Complexity: 2; Horror: 1; Mythos: 1; Contents: Commune Nyarlathotep (Yellow King avatar) A diplomat at the Imperial Court in China, Sir Gregory (1832-?) heard of the Plateau of Leng from a mysterious Chinese courtier wearing a yellow silk mask. An avid explorer as well as a diplomat, and having never before heard the name, Sir Gregory engaged in a long search across Central Asia. Although he did not discover Leng, Sir Gregory unearthed other stories. Some hinted that it actually lay in Antarctica or on an isolated island, while one suggested Leng could only be reached through dreams. Others spoke of a monstrous monastery inhabited by a hellish priest, of a lighthouse that shed a baleful light, and of abominable spiders. On returning to civilization, Sir Gregory put down the legends in a small folio and invested in a print run of just 50 copies. Although academics dismissed the notion of Leng as a real place, Sir Gregory was able to fund a new expedition in 1887. He was last seen in eastern China in 1888, where he was preparing to search the high Himalayas for further clues.

Language: Unknown; Author: Hsan; Published: Unknown; Complexity: 5; Horror: 3; Mythos: 2; Contents: Commune Azathoth, Commune Yog-Sothoth, Formula: Liao, Gate, Sign of Tindalos, Summon Hound of Tindalos, True Name of Azathoth Despite the insistence of certain Mythos scholars, the Seven Cryptical Books of Hsan were not authored by a Chinese scholar. Indeed, they were not penned in the waking realm at all, but rather to a Dreamlands inhabitant known only by a single name. Each of the first four books concern one of the elements—air, earth, fire, and water. The remaining volumes cover the great mysteries of the universe and of the relationship between time and space (especially angles and curves). As one might deduce, the septology is difficult to read. While little of the writing is encrypted in the traditional sense, Hsan used allegories and veiled references rather than stating anything clearly. Translating the markings requires a Dreamlands roll, as opposed to a Linguistics: Translation roll.

Pnakotic Manuscripts Language: Yithian; Author: Unknown; Published: Unknown; Complexity: 4; Horror: 2; Mythos: 2; Contents: Commune Tsathoggua, Elder Sign, Sign of Koth, Summon Elder Things, Summon Great Race of Yith Written by the Great Race of Yith during pre-Pleistocene times, the last copy of the Pnakotic manuscripts was drawn into the Dreamlands when Lomar was overrun by the Gnoph-kehs. The oldest parts, which are symbols and glyphs, have defied translation, for even the oldest and wisest scholars of the Dreamlands no longer recall the language. The book stands in the great library in Ulthar, moldy with age and rarely perused. Translating the markings requires an Eldritch Lore: Tomes roll, as opposed to a Linguistics: Translation roll.

Zakarion Papyrus Language: Unknown; Author: Unknown; Published: Unknown; Complexity: 2; Horror: 2; Mythos: 4*; Contents: Summon Nightgaunt A thick roll of yellowed papyrus penned by long-dead dream-sages, the only copy of this elder work exists in the city of Zakarion. Expanded by countless hands driven by wise minds, the papyrus tells much of the Dreamlands and its strange denizens. Save in this papyrus has word been told of a golden valley in which stands a sacred grove cluttered by temples ancient even in the lore of the Dreamlands. At the far end is a monumental wall, the structure pierced by a sole bronze gate. Only by consumption of a certain drug can one open the gate to what lies beyond. Of this, the dream-sages disagree, for some speak of great wonders while others talk of terrible horrors. Translating the markings requires a Dream-

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Cthulhu Codicil: The Dreamlands lands Lore: Linguistics roll, as opposed to a Linguistics: Translation roll. * Instead of giving Eldritch Experience points, reading this tome grants Dreamlands Experience points.

Eldritch Relics Dream Dust* Artifact 1 Leagues: Morpheus Club Notes: Add Formula: Dream Dust to the Al-Azif, Book of Hidden Things, and the Greek version of the Necronomicon. Created by an Arabian alchemist and master dreamer in the 8th century, Dream Dust encourages dreaming. More than that, it inhibits the part of the brain that retains the sleeper in the waking world, thus aiding entrance to the Dreamlands. A batch contains five doses, each of which is good for a single use. Enhancements: Special: +2 bonus to enter the Dreamlands (+2 Enhancements)

Lens of Hsan Unique Artifact 3 Leagues: — Created by the legendary Hsan, author of the Seven Cryptical Books that bear his name, the Lens is a thin, 5” diameter concave lens made of a crystal not found on Earth. When held over a section of text, the user sees the text as if written in his native tongue. Make a Linguistics: Translation roll using the Lens’ 10 dice. The more successes that are rolled, the more accurate the translation. Enhancements: Skill: Linguistics: Translation 10 dice (+5 Enhancements)* * The Lens can only use the Linguistics: Translation Specialization.

Moon-Tree Wine Artifact 1 Leagues: —

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The Zoogs (see p. 188) believe that one of the trees in the Enchanted Forest grew from a seed dropped by someone on the moon. Despite insisting the tree is haunted, the Zoogs harvest sap from the tree to ferment into MoonTree Wine. The wine is especially potent—even a single mouthful can cause a person to relax their inhibitions and begin talking freely. Only the Zoogs know the recipe for creating Moon-Tree Wine, though they may pass the knowledge on to a dreamer given suitable gifts in return. Of course, even then the would-be vintner needs to collect sap from the haunted Moon-Tree. A batch contains five doses, each of which is good for a single use. Enhancements: Induce Flaw: Blabber Mouth (+2 Enhancements)

The Silver Key Unique Artifact 5 Leagues: — Possessed by the American branch of the Carter family, the Silver Key has been handed down from generations to generation since its discovering during the Crusades. Wrapped in parchment on which are written strange hieroglyphs that were old when the last Ice Age ended, the tarnished silver key is 8” long and covered in cryptical arabesques. The relic is literally a key to the Dreamlands. Not only can the owner visit the realm of Morpheus with little effort, they can enter the Dreamlands while awake. No matter how long they remain in the Dreamlands, they return to the waking world only moments after they entered. Any witnesses see their eyes glaze over for a few seconds, as if in a daydream. The Silver Key also allows one to physically enter the Dreamlands, vanishing from the waking world entirely. While using this ability, time in the real world passes as within the Dreamlands. That is, if they spend a year in the Dreamlands, a year will have passed in the real world when they return. The character will not have aged a single day, however. Enhancements: Special: Physical transference to the Dreamlands (+4 Enhancements), Talent: Adept Dreamer 3 (+6 Enhancements)

Chapter Three: Gazetteer of the Dreamlands “They talked little with the other folk in those ancient sea taverns; but would gather in groups in remote corners and sing among themselves the haunting airs of unknown places, or chant long tales to one another in accents alien to the rest of dreamland.” —H. P. Lovecraft, The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath The Dreamlands is loosely divided into four areas named after the cardinal points of the compass. Above these lies the mysterious Moon, to which few have ventured and returned, and below the Underworld, where even fewer have trod and survived.

Entrance Cavern of Flame Mythos Tale: The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath Except when entering the Dreamlands through a convergence point, a dreamer seeking the fantastical realm first finds themselves standing at the top of a flight of worn stone steps. These are the Seventy Steps of Light Slumber. Descending through a rough hewn passage, the steps lead the dreamer down to the Cavern of Flame, so named for the many braziers whose flickering flames illume the cavern. The Cavern is home to the priests Nasht

and Kaman-That (p. 193), the ancient and powerful guardians whose permission is needed to proceed further and whose might keeps the inhabitants of the Dreamlands from entering the world of the living. At the far end of the Cavern stands a doorway, above whose lintel is inscribed writing so old that even the priests cannot translate its meaning. This is the Gate of Deeper Slumber, beyond which are seven hundred steps that lead to the Enchanted Wood (see p. 173).

The East Celephaïs Mythos Tale: Celephaïs The great city-port of Celephaïs, the most majestic city in all of the Dreamlands, stands at the end of the Valley of Ooth-Nargai, through which winds the bubbling waters of the River Naraxa as it lazily works its way from its source in the Tanarian Hills further inland to the shores of the Cerenian Sea. Most travelers arrive by ship, guided safely to harbor by the pharos that stands atop the magnificent sea wall. From the deck, only the glittering tops of the city’s many minarets are visible beyond the marble barrier, a hint of the wonders that lie inside. Further beyond stands Mount Aran, its lower slopes swathed in genko trees, its summit permanently masked in white.

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Cthulhu Codicil: The Dreamlands Chieftain of the Cats Few citizens, and even fewer dreamers, known that Celephaïs has the honor of hosting a second mighty chieftain. No soldier wielding steel weapons, no wizened priest whose mind is bloated with lore of the ages, the chieftain in question is the leader of all cats in the Dreamlands. He, for it is a gray tom cat, seeks not plump cushions placed beside a roaring fire in a marble fireplace nor the delights of sweetmeats. Rather, he lives in an unassuming bazaar populated by sheep-butchers, from where his inscrutable gaze watches passers-by and from where he holds court for all cats who seek his guidance. Aloof toward humans, the chieftain speaks only to those who are known to be friendly to cats or who come to his court bearing secret passwords given freely be other cats.

Within the harbor lie ships from other lands, their sails unfurled as they bob silently on the lapping waves. Here longshoremen heave heavy loads of exotic goods from distant shores and the carved jade, spun gold, and little red singing birds for which Celephaïs is renowned, bearing their wares to and from ships whose captains seek riches and to the camel trains that will transport them far inland. Merchants in brightly colored robes and turbans haggle and barter in myriad tongues, nodding greetings to strangers and seeking to catch the eye of potential new customers. Passing the great gates leads one over a great stone bridge, its arches spanning the River Naraxa, its width sufficient for laden wagons and camels to pass with room to spare. At the far end lies the Street of Pillars, which marks the beginning of the city proper. Wondrous are the sights, even to experienced dreamers who have frequented Celephaïs before. Gleaming marble walls, statues of highly polished bronze, roads paved with onyx, the turquoise temple of Nath-Horthath, whose priests wear orchid wreathes, and the peaceful

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groves whose fragrant flowers are always in bloom. The scent of spices and perfumes waft in the breeze, tantalizing the senses. Ruling over the city is King Kuranes (p. 192), though he is an absent ruler, preferring to spend his time in his manor house (see below) and leaving the chore of daily governance to a council of wise men and priests. Time works differently in Celephaïs. The inhabitants do not age, nor do the seasons pass from one to another, nor do roads and buildings succumb to erosion or damage from lack of maintenance. Indeed, the citizens are unaware of the passage of time. A merchant who spoke with a dreamer may pick up their previous conversation as if it had only just finished, despite the dreamer being absent for many months or years. Often, dreamers find people they previously encountered at the same spot as before, as if unable to move from that location. The Old Inn: Celephaïs boasts a number of inns, one of which is known only as the Old Inn. Located near the wharves, the building is an oddity for its architecture. Created by King Kuranes in memory of the old inn in his earthly home, its gray stone walls clash with the shining marble of its neighbors. The Palace of Celephaïs: Most beautiful of all the buildings is the king’s palace, its elegant marble spires topped by onion domes of beaten copper that gleam in the sun like fiery beacons. Standing a short distance away are the barracks of the Knights of Celephaïs, sworn defenders of the city and the king, and the expansive stables for their white steeds.

Kuranes’ Manor For all his desire to visit Celephaïs, King Kuranes has learned that too much of a good thing can be tiresome. Many are the wonders and pleasures of Celephaïs, but Kuranes, a native of the waking world but forever denied passage back to that world, grew to desire the sights of his homeland. East of Celephaïs, on a cliff overlooking the sea, stands a Gothic manor built of gray stone. Save for its door being flanked by two carved stone cats, it is a drab building, though inside

Gazetteer of the Dreamlands are all the basic comforts of home. Most impressive, at least to native of the Dreamlands, is Kuranes’ library, its shelves stacked high with volumes brought from the waking world. Nearby stands a great abbey constructed in the style of the Normans. Standing upright and proud in its tended grounds are gravestones, each bearing the name of one of Kuranes’ earthly ancestors. From the manor, a steep cobbled street weaves its way down the cliff toward the sea, its length bordered by neat, simple fishermen’s cottages. At the shore is a fishing harbor such as those one might find in Cornwall, where Kuranes lived as a child. The inhabitants, poor but happy, speak in Cornish accents and have the weathered faces of people accustomed to working on the sea.

Ilek-Vad Mythos Tale: Through the Gates Of the Silver Key (H. P. Lovecraft and E. Hoffman Price) Few visitors have set eyes on the city of IlekVad and little is known of it by the priests and scholars native to other lands. It is a remote city, located atop lofty hollow cliffs of glass in which the bearded and finned Gnorri dig labyrinths and give praise to strange gods in ululating voices that echo hauntingly through the slick passageways and caverns. Ilek-Vad is renowned for its domes and towers, of which it boasts many. Indeed, much of the population lives in towers, with the most prominent citizens inhabiting the higher portions, from which they can gaze across the city. None, though, are as magnificent as those of Celephaïs. They are instead of crude form and construction. Here, atop a room located at the summit of the largest tower, sits Ilek-Vad’s king upon an opal throne.

The Rock with no Name Mythos Tale: The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath Several days sail north of Celephaïs, a towering, ugly rock of black stone thrusts upward

Skeletons in the Closet Boyd Descended from ancient and moody Highlands stock, the line has long struggled with the waking world. With a deep sense of the wonder beyond the gates of sleep, the wonders of the waking world soon seem as a prison, not a home. Corruption: The globetrotter gains the mild Insomnia Flaw (see p. 144). This is permanent, even if the globetrotter removes all of their Corruption points— the Dreamer must learn to live with this new barrier to the Dreamlands. Further Corruption worsens the Flaw.

Carter The Carters have long been involved with the eldritch arts. During the Crusades, an ancestor learned terrible things from his Saracen captors. Sir Randolph Carter studied magic during the reign of Queen Elizabeth, while Edmund Carter, named “the Wizard,” fled persecution as a witch in hysterical Salem. Corruption: Instead of a Flaw, the globetrotter gains a strange and corruptive insight into the arcane. The character may gain a +4 bonus to any Academic: Occult, Dreamlands Lore, or Elder Lore. In return, he gains a permanent Corruption point (i.e., it cannot be removed by any means). This effect is permanent, even if the globetrotter removes all their Corruption points.

Elton The Eltons have long been curious concerning distant cultures and customs, having heard tales from old sea captains. While madness does not taint the bloodline, it said that the wind also imparts knowledge of strange lands. Corruption: The globetrotter automatically gains the Xenophile Flaw. This effect is permanent, even if the globetrotter removes all their Corruption points.

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cut through the heart of the rock to higher chambers. The island is home to a colony of Moon Beasts and their Men of Leng servitors. It is a foul place, with stench-filled houses lined with stalls for housing prisoners and low benches designed to accommodate the Moon Beast’s foul form. Higher up from the living quarters are shrines containing terrible altars to Nyarlathotep stained by the blood of countless sacrifices. A lightless passageway leads from the largest temple into a dark and dismal cavern, its walls inscribed with terrible oaths and demoniac faces. The center of the chamber is dominated by a bottomless well from which emanates a noisome stench. Past this, opposite the entrance, is a small bronze door marked with profane glyphs. The door permits entrance to a more terrible place—the Underworld—by which means one might travel to distant Sarkomand (p. 167) at the base of the Plateau of Leng. The foul sounds that cause the hearts of mariners to quiver are the work of Moon Beasts. From within the rock echo the screams of captives being offered to Nyarlathotep as sacrifices or consumed while still alive by the hideous Moon Beasts.

Serannian from the Cerenarian Sea. No sage has honored it with a name, for even the hardiest mariners avoid the pinnacle, fearing the source of the unearthly howls and screams that emanate from the rock when the sun hides its face over the western horizon. The rock rises like a needle, its sheer sides accessed only by a small harbor on the southern flank. Protected by sheer headlands, a narrow passage permits only one ship at a time to pass through, and even then the vessel’s sides are precariously close to being ripped apart. One of the feared black galleys is always found here at anchor, and more often than not at least one other vessel is present, its turbaned sailors unloading a cargo. Carved into the monolith above the stone wharves and reached by a short set of wide steps is a town of sorts. Within, spiral stairs

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Mythos Tale: Celephaïs Good-natured laughter awaits novice dreamers who enquire as to which coast the city-port of Serannian lies on, for its harbor is lapped by no water. To reach the city, one must sail west, to the point where wind flows alters its course and heads into the sky. From there, even the heaviest nautical vessel can catch the wind and rise through the heavens. Ruled by King Kuranes, whose court resides here for half of the year, Serannian is more a castle in the sky than a sprawling city, its turrets redolent of those found on the fairytale castles of Germany. The great keep and its many outbuildings are constructed from pink marble, the hue of which is found only in the glory of the setting sun on a spring night.

Gazetteer of the Dreamlands Zakarion Mythos Tale: Ex Oblivione Far to the east of Celephaïs, in lands glanced only briefly in dreams, lies forgotten Zakarion. In times of yore it was populated by dream-sages wise in all things concerning the Dreamlands save the location of Kadath (p. 166) and the haunts of the other gods who once graced the waking world with their presence. Silent now are the capacious libraries where scribes toiled to record the sages’ thoughts, the halls where philosophers debated existential matters, and the temples out that rang out with prayers. All that remains now are the countless papyri, yellowed, worm-ridden, and mildewed with the passage of untold eons.

The North Inquanok Mythos Tale: The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath The largest city in the northern Dreamlands, twilight in never far away in Inquanok. The cold wind that howls from the nearby unpleasant Plateau of Leng blows relentlessly through the streets which cannot be reached because of the impassible mountains that lie between the city and plateau. The city nestles behind low walls, for no raider has ever troubled Inquanok since its foundation long before humans made it their home. Above the gates is engraved the face of the god as found in distant Ngranek (p. 168), from whom the denizens descend. The city itself is both magnificent and gloomy, with walls, elegant spires, and bulbous domes of onyx hewn from the distant quarries and inlaid with geometric patterns of beaten gold. Lengthy are the shadows even when the sun is high. Though the inhabitants see nothing strange in the shadows, no cats dwell here, for there are things within the dark they cannot endure. Even to mention the city’s name to a cat is enough to cause it to arch its back and raise its hackles.

Dominating the center is the royal palace, into which no visitors are permitted on penalty of death by order of the Veiled King, Inquanok’s ruler. It is said that within the monumental central dome lives the father of the Shantak-birds, a monstrous creature captured in olden times and shackled for some unknown purpose by the monarchs. It is not wise to think on the beast, for it sends queer dreams to those whose thoughts linger on it too long. The second-most magnificent building is the Temple of the Old Ones, a sixteen-sided tower surrounded by well-tended gardens. Both the interior of the temple and the nature of the worship held there are mysteries of the citizens. Only the priests and the Veiled King may enter the temple, and when the former are seen they are masked and hooded. Rumors abound that the priests are not human, though such stories are always whispered and rarely in front of outsiders. The only time priests are seen is when the temple bell tolls. From each of the temple’s seven gates emerges a hooded priest carrying steaming bowls. Each makes its way to one of seven lodges within the manicured grounds. The priests are never seen returning to the temple, thus birthing the rumor that subterranean passages link the lodges to the central structure. Some have suggested the priests never return at all, though how the temple always has sufficient priests is quietly ignored. At times, the daily noise of life is drowned out by peals of bells answered by horns, viols, and chants. From whence the sounds come is unknown, but all who hear them stop what they are doing and bow. To fail in this duty is said to threaten doom on the city, though no scholars know the nature of the peril. Merchants come to Inquanok not only for quarried onyx blocks, but also the enormous, rich-flavored eggs sold by the locals. Likely these are the eggs of the Shantak-birds, though the locals are closed-mouthed about the source.

The Great Quarry Many days travel north of Inquanok, at the base of mountains the citizens prefer to avoid thinking about, is an abandoned quarry.

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Cthulhu Codicil: The Dreamlands The onyx here is especially rich, but no picks or shovels wielded by humans have ever worked at the site. Indeed, no laborers will work here, for the cavities left by quarrying in ages past strike utter terror in the people of Inquanok for their sheer size. Ignorance is bliss, it is said, and the inhabitants of the city are content not to know who quarried the cyclopean blocks or to where they were taken. Only the old gods know the truth—the stones were quarried and shaped by their hands, then taken to construct the dread fortress of Kadath in the Cold Wastes.

Urg Halfway between Inquanok and the worked onyx quarries lies the village of Urg. A settlement of small domes inhabited by a hardy people accustomed to harsh winters, Urg is

a popular resting place for weary miners and merchants to rest their feet, swap tales, and quench their thirst in the many taverns.

Kadath Mythos Tale: The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath Dread is the name of Kadath. Save for its name and that it is the residence of the Great Ones, nothing is known. Even Nasht and Kaman-Thah, wisest of the wise and ancient beyond measure, are unsure whether Kadath lies in the Dreamlands, on a body circling a distant star, such as Aldebaran or Fomalhaut, or at the gates to the court of Azathoth that lies in the center of everything. Kadath is a titanic mountain whose heights dwarf Mount Everest in that the way a human eclipses an ant. On the higher slopes are vast tiers of hideous turrets and repellent domes built of Cyclopean blocks of onyx never worked by the hand of mere mortals. Seated higher even than these accursed edifices, half-veiled by mist, is a castle of ghastly design whose dimensions are so blasphemous as to shatter human minds in an instant, and from which a wan, daemon-light glows through strangely arched windows. Here dwell the feeble-minded Great Ones, once the gods of Earth in days long since passed. No longer do they dally with mortals or answer prayers, but instead set forth in cloud-ships to other peaks reminiscent of those of Earth, where they revel in peace as they did of old. Watching over the Great Ones are the Other Gods from Outside, blind, voiceless, mindless things born in the darkness beyond the stars near to where Azathoth dwells. Their soul and messenger is the last inhabitant of the monstrous castle—the enigmatic Crawling Chaos that is Nyarlathotep.

Plateau of Leng Mythos Tale: The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath

Gazetteer of the Dreamlands First brought to the attention of the waking world through the dread Necronomicon, the exact location of Leng has been much discussed by scholars since then. Mythologists have placed it in a remote part of Asia, its location lost as names have changed. Others say the plateau is a racial memory of lands that existed in an earlier epoch, perhaps Lemuria or Mu, or even in desolated Antarctica. Dreamers, however, know that the Plateau of Leng exists in the Dreamlands, though there are convergence points as yet to be discovered by dreamers. The high plateau is a cold desert, its rocky surface frequently swept by harsh winds carrying with them particles of ice. It is the homeland of the Men of Leng (see p. 185), who dress like men when in other lands but who are inhuman under their disguises. Here they live in remote stone and huts and strange villages, worshipping Nyarlathotep in his guise of the Yellow King, and the Other Gods from Outside, while avoiding becoming prey for the monstrous Spiders of Leng (see p. 187).

Monastery of Leng Aside from the crude huts of the Men of Leng and Cyclopean ruins of older ages, there is only one building of any note on the Plateau of Leng. A prehistoric monastery constructed from Cyclopean blocks, the vast, windowless structure is surrounded by a circle of crudely worked monoliths. Capable of housing many hundreds, the monastery is inhabited by only one being, a strange, yellow-robed entity known only as the High-Priest Not to be Named (see p. 192). The walls within its echoing halls and corridors are engraved with frightful scenes far older than recorded history, and which are made all the more disgusting for their use of colors not faded after unknown ages. The monastery’s focal point is a gaping circular pit around which stand six stone obelisks on which are inscribed hideous signs and hieroglyphs. Beyond the pit is a stone dais reached by five steps. Here sits the hideous golden throne of the High-Priest. Aside from the main gates, there are two

exits from the monastery. The first lies at the bottom of the great pit. From here, a tunnel winds through utter darkness to the Vaults of Zin (p. 178) and their vile inhabitants, the Gugs (p. 184). The second is a long, steep, sloping passage that winds down and down to forgotten Sarkomand (see below).

Pharos of Leng The highest tower of the Monastery of Leng is a lighthouse. Each dusk, as the last of the sun’s disc descends behind the horizon, a blue ray shoots forth and sweeps the horizon before rising vertically and piercing the clouds to the stars beyond. The ghoulish light is visible even to the shepherds who work far from the mountains surrounding Leng, and from whose aura they avert their eyes while whispering prayers to their gods.

Sarkomand Mythos Tale: The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath Nestled in a valley below Leng, the stones and monuments of fabled Sarkomand were raised when the ancestors of humans were learning to master fire and carving crude stone axes. Long has its location been forgotten to even the wisest denizens of the Dreamlands. Once, it was a major stronghold of the Men of Leng, perhaps even their capital, but that was before that strange race was subjugated by the foul Moon Beasts. Broken columns of black stone, headless remnants of diorite winged lions, time-weathered sphinx-crowned gates, cracked marble basins and urns that decorated gardens, and the tide-battered basalt wharves speak of a splendor long since past. Today, what was once a bustling metropolis is mostly abandoned, a corpse of silent ruins visited only on occasion by the Men of Leng and their frightful masters. On foot, there are only two exits from the fateful valley. The first is an archway beyond which are stairs that ascend through the cliffs to the Monastery of Leng. The second, located in a wide plaza flanked by winged stone lions,

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Cthulhu Codicil: The Dreamlands is a stairwell whose narrow steps, treacherous with ooze from the inner world, lead into the terrible Underworld of the Dreamlands. Neither is a wise choice, for at their terminus are horrors no human should have to face.

The South Oriab Mythos Tale: The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath A large ocean in the Southern Sea, Oriab is known for its fertile fields, lush vegetation, and the fragrant resin groves in which the sevencolored magah birds nest. The citizens have never seen a horse, nor do they use oxen or yaks. When they need to travel far, or require beasts of burden, they make use of zebras.

Baharna The only settlement of any great note on Oriab, Baharna is an immense port. After passing the flickering flames of Thon and Thal, twin beacons standing on either side of the harbor entrance whose fires are kept alight by an army of workers with copious quantities of wood, visiting ships and galleys berth on the purple-red porphyry wharves. Here gather Baharna’s merchants, eager to trade delicate local pottery, fragrant resin, and strange figures carved from ancient lava in return for cabbages and wool from Ulthar, iridescent textiles from Hatheg, and carved ivory from Parg. Beyond the wharves, the city rises in a series of terraces. Stepped streets rise up the incline, while above the buildings merge to meet to form tunnels or are joined by overhead bridges. Beneath the city runs a canal, whose length terminates on the shore of Lake Yoth (see below). When the city was young, barges ferried goods to and from the nameless ruined city that stands on the lake shore, but in recent

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times entrance to the canal was blocked by granite doors and watched over by nervous soldiers who try vainly to ignore the faint scratching coming from behind the portal when the moon has risen. Passing through the southern gates leads one to the Plain of Yoth, a land of rolling hills, neat orchards, and small farmhouses made from blocks of lava. Beyond Lake Yoth, the land grows wilder, with scattered woods and few settlements for those of charcoal burners and resin gatherers.

Lake Yoth Surrounding the southern side of Lake Yoth’s cold and dark waters are the remnants of a colossal city. Its leagues of crumbling walls once housed a population equal to that of Baharna, but of them little is known. Citizens of advanced years suggest the inhabitants once angered the gods and paid a dear price, but scholars are silent on the matter and lack the knowledge to translate the primal carvings still visible here and there. Among the remnants stands a temple surround by a high wall broken by a singular arch of curiously small size given the height of the battlements. The main road through the city passes through the arch and terminates at the top of a set of stone steps that lead into utter darkness. The lava gatherers who frequent this way never rest here at night, and they caution others not to attempt such an act. Though they have never seen any strange beasts, they have witnessed webbed footprints leading to and from the lake, and the blood-sucked corpses of those who dared to camp amid the ruins. It may be that the dwellers in the lake are the red-footed Wamps who are said to spawn in dead cities, but it would take braver souls than the lava gatherers to confirm this.

Mount Ngranek Mount Ngranek, with ice summit forever sheathed in ice and snow, is clearly visible from the higher terraces of Baharna, yet to reach its lower slopes takes two days swift ride by zebra.

Gazetteer of the Dreamlands The natives of Baharna fear to climb too high on its craggy slopes, for the higher peak is riddled with warrens harboring Night-gaunts, and they are known to pluck to intrepid mountaineers from the cliffs and carry them to their lofty lairs, from whence none return. The current generation of lava gatherers harvest stone only from the high foothills, though brick ruins left behind by hill-folk indicate humans once nestled closer to the summit. Deterred from continued occupancy by the winged black shadows that flit around by night, the hill-folk abandoned their homes, many settling in an old quarter of Baharna, where they taught their sons the skill of lava crafting. Some 90 eons ago, Mount Ngranek was a violent volcano, continually spewing molten rock down its side and onto the neighboring plains. Today, it is utterly silent, its fires quenched, its craggy, sinister sides deeply marred by crags and hollows. Climbing the miles-high peak is a Herculean task. At first the going is far from arduous, but as the forested slopes give way to scrub grass, the slope becomes more treacherous. By the time a climber has passed beyond the last vestiges of soil, the barren rock is almost vertical, with thrusting overhangs that force a circuitous route. Added to this strenuous ordeal is the rarity of the air and the ever-biting cold that gnaws at flesh and bone. Skirting around the south face and staring outward to the sea, above a valley in which molten lava still pools, the most proficient climber may, if their luck holds, come across a wondrous and terrifying sight. Carved into the living mountain, its scale numbing to the human mind, is the face of a god, carved by the Great Ones themselves. The visage is distinctive, with long narrow eyes, long lobed ears, thin nose, and pointed chin. When the Dreamlands were young, when the Great Ones still frequented the waking world, they would come to Mount Ngranek to gambol and dance and sing. As humans grew curious as to where the gods reveled and sought their presence, the gods abandoned the mountain, leaving nothing behind save the monumental face in memory to mark their lost playground.

Sona-Nyl Mythos Tale: The White Ship Beneath the graceful arch of crystal that bridges twin headlands of the same sparkling mineral is Sona-Nyl, the Land of Fancy. A land that stretches for eternity, Sona-Nyl is a realm of verdant pastures and groves, colorful flowers with pleasing bouquets, brooks and streams of clear water whose bubbling soothes the soul, elegant temples, steepled villages, quaint pagodas, stately temples, and gorgeous cities. The natives are a happy people, full of joy and grace, and with song in their hearts, and well they might be, for Sona-Nyl is a land not blighted by suffering nor death. A dreamer may dwell in the blissful paradise for eons, never aging a single second. Unmarred by time, visiting dreamers return to the rest of

Cthulhu Codicil: The Dreamlands the Dreamlands the same instant they first set foot in Sona-Nyl. Because time has no existence here, time spent in Sona-Nyl does not count toward the maximum period a dreamer may spend in the Dreamlands.

Thalarion Mythos Tale: The White Ship Humanity has always strived to solve the mysteries of the universe. Sometimes it has been successful. Other times its best efforts have resulted in failure. In the metropolis of Thalarion, City of a Thousand Wonders, reside the enigmas humanity has yet to fathom. Within some recess somewhere may be the secret of the electron microscope, ejector seats, transistors, the hovercraft, and medicines. From the stone piers that line the waterfront, the only access to the city is through Akariel, a carved gate of enormous size that is rarely opened. From outside, one can see only the spires of temples that stretch beyond sight into the endless sky and roofs etched with strange friezes and oddly fascinating sculptures. The wise avoid Thalarion, despite the temptation to see what wonders lie beyond Akariel, for it is a city inhabited only by daemons and madmen who are no longer men, having been driven to insanity by their endless yearning to solve the riddles of the universe. Indeed, ghastly is the city beyond the gate, with its bleak, colorless walls and streets strewn with the bleached bones of visitors who dared to look upon the mistress of this strange land—the eidolon Lathi.

earthly ear and which draw the listener to seek their unseen source. As the wind rises, though, a scent repugnant to the senses, a vile odor of unburied corpses and bodies ridden with plague, carries forth from the island. For all its beauty, Xura is an island of the damned, known to the wise as the Land of Pleasures Unattained. The ghastly inhabitants are in a state of endless yearning, their rotting hands clutching at the physical pleasures forever denied them, their souls tormented by the spiritual pleasures that will never soothe their spirits. Like Tantalus, the damned denizens are subject to temptation without satisfaction.

Zar, Land of Mythos Tale: The White Ship Splendid is the Land of Zar, with its sloping terraces, bedecked with beautiful trees, that rise gently from the shore, roofs of glistening white marble, portico temples with carved columns, and outlandish castles that would grace any fairy tale. It is a land of fantasy and beauty, a realm where half-glimpsed wonders seen in the mind’s eye of poets who died before enshrining their visions on paper stand alongside the fantastical sights of young children who forget their childhood dreams and fancies as the years pass. To stand here would give a poet or storyteller images to grace a thousand works. Yet none have stood on this land and returned to tell of the marvellous things they have witnessed, for the wise tell that once one has witnessed such beauty one never yearns to leave to return to the mundanity of their native lands.

Xura Mythos Tale: The White Ship From a distance, the island of Xura appears an unmatched paradise. The entire shoreline is swathed with flowers and blossoms of every hue, while inland can be seen lustrous groves and resplendent arbors. Listen on the wind, and one might catch snatches of song and laughter, the likes of which have graced no

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The West Aira Mythos Tale: The Quest of Iranon To hear poets and singers tell of Aira is to hear of a city made of beryl and marble, of

fragrant groves and gardens with ornate fountains and clear pools, of small waterfalls whose flow tinkles gently like soft music, and palaces with golden domes and painted walls. Words have power, and those of poets and singers especially so. Many have seen Aira in their mind’s eye, having heard of the city of marble and beryl in verse, but none have witnessed it first hand or walked its streets. None, that is save for Iranon, a singer of songs, who saw it and walked its streets in his dreams and who gave it life. Alas, the dreams of the Dreamlands cannot give rise to creation in the same way as the visions of dreamers from the waking world. Thus, Aira is a figment of the imagination, no more tangible than a cloud. Of course, this is the Dreamlands, and who is to say whether or not Aira might be a city through which people may stroll or call home? A dreamer from the waking world who hears the tale of the city of marble and beryl may dream of it himself, and through his dreams cause it to manifest.

Basalt Pillars of the West Mythos Tale: The Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath, The White Ship Far across the ocean, many days from the nearest harbor, stand two basalt columns of monumental and terrible proportions. Forever shrouded in mist that defies the senses to pierce beyond, and with summits that rise into the very heavens, they mark the end of the Dreamlands. Mariners fear the waters here, for the currents draw ships toward the basalt pillars and the obscene cataract said to lurk just beyond. To sail off the end of the world is to fall into the void, to where the order of the universe becomes unbridled chaos. Here, profane musicians drum and pipe in reverence of Azathoth, the Daemon Sultan, and the mindless, voiceless Other Gods from Outside come to dance. Yet there are some who know of secret routes beyond the Basalt Pillars of the West that end in places other than damnation and insanity. The black galleys of the Men of Leng, for instance, are

able to reach the Moon from here, though never will they reveal the secret of how, not what else may lurk beyond the mist and spray.

Cathuria Mythos Tale: The White Ship Many are the stories of Cathuria, the Land of Hope that lies, so it is said, beyond the Basalt Pillars of the West, and many are the stories of those who perished in attempting to reach its shores. The wise speak of virgin forests of fragrant aloe and sandalwood, of temples carved from pink marble blocks that stand on the flower-shrouded mountain, and countless cities of gold, though their wisdom concerning such things is known to them from dreams and taken from tomes of immeasurable antiquity.

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Cthulhu Codicil: The Dreamlands It is said the walls of the great cities are covered in beaten gold, as are the pavements that meander through gardens in which grow strange orchards and cross the bridges that span the River Narg, whose waters head in a grotto deep in the mountains, which skirt perfumed lakes with beds of amber and coral. At night, the city is illuminated with lanterns carved from the shell of three-colored tortoises, the walls and streets reflecting a dim glow. No person lives in squalor in Cathuria, for even the smallest home is a marble palace that would be the envy of king or queen in the waking world. Greatest of all is the palace of Dorieb, the demi-god or god monarch of Cathuria beyond the Basalt Pillars. It is an awe-inspiring structure, with a roof of pure gold held aloft by columns of azure and ruby sculpted in the forms of gods and heroes. The floor of the throne room is of glass

unmarred by the minutest imperfection, beneath which flows the clear waters of the Narg.

Dylath-Leen Mythos Tale: The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath The great trading city of Dylath-Leen stands at the mouth of the River Skai. It is an ugly city, with thin towers built of angular blocks of basalt, dark streets into which visitors tread carefully, especially after night, and discouraging sea-taverns where human, and some not so human, mariners spend their time drinking, gambling, and swapping stories. Even the lighthouse that stands behind the multitude of wharves sheds an unwelcoming light. For as much as many fear the black-sailed galleys that berth here with cargoes of rubies from no shore in the Dreamlands, Dylath-Leen is a cosmopolitan city, drawing merchants and mariners from all across the Dreamlands, and a few from the waking world and realms beyond. Talk of the black galleys haunts the lips of many, though, and getting them to discuss any other topic can be difficult.

Black Galleys The galleys which trouble the merchants of Dylath-Leen frequent the port every few weeks. The few merchants who step down from the gangplank are a strange people, with mouths that are too wide to be welcoming, oddly-shaped turbans, and peculiarly short shoes. Of the locals, scant few are aware of the origin of these near-human figures (see Men of Leng, p. 185), and those who know the truth are in service to Nyarlathotep’s Yellow King avatar. Many dozens of hardy oarsmen must be required to power the galleys, but none ever step ashore even if a vessel remains in port for weeks on end, nor do the merchants send orders for provisions to feed the crew—not that longshoreman and chandlers care for those sleek galleys and the foul stench that emanates from within. Were one able to gain access, one would find not human slaves chained to oars, but the bul-

Gazetteer of the Dreamlands bous forms of Moon-Beasts, whose prodigious strength enable them to propel the galleys at tremendous speeds. No chains hold them fast, the creatures are volunteers and the true masters of the ships, among their number being others who serve as officers and navigators. The galleys bring only one cargo to DylathLeen—rubies of unusual size and unknown origin. In return, they fill their holds with gold and with slaves from Parg, who they purchase by the pound. Though none in Dylath-Leen know from whence the galleys come, the origin of their cargo lies on the Dark Side of the Moon, the ultimate destination for those unfortunates sold into their care.

Enchanted Wood Mythos Tale: The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath Most dreamers who visit the Dreamlands begin their journey in the Enchanted Wood, where the seven hundred steps of deeper slumber end. Despite its name, this is no fairy tale forest. It is a shadowy place, where the boughs of low oaks form a shield against the glare of the heavens and whose branches form twisted tunnels of wood and leaves. A constant green twilight casts long shadows from the only illumination, a phosphorescent fungi that grows in leprous clumps amid rotting mold. Near the heart of the forest stands a tremendous circle of stones in the style of the Stone Age inhabitants of the waking world. Antique when simple-minded semi-humans were first marvelling at fire, the circle was constructed not by the current dwellers in the forest—the Zoogs (p. 188), but the terrible Gugs (p. 184), whose travesties saw them banished to the Underworld. In the center of the circle is a toppled stone into which a wide iron ring has been attached. The Zoogs no long remember what lies beneath that portal, but they fear it none the less. Of the many trees that grow here, one is revered and feared by the Zoogs in equal measure. A tall, silver-barked tree, the only one of

its kind in the Enchanted Wood, the Zoogs refer to as a moon-tree, for in their myths it grew from a seed dropped from the Moon. From its sap they distill Moon-Tree Wine.

Hatheg-Kla & Hatheg Mythos Tale: The Other Gods Far to the west of Ulthar, beyond the small village of Hatheg that stands at the entrance of a stony desert, and whose inhabitants fear eclipses of the Moon by mist, stands the towering mountain of Hatheg-Kla. Distant as it might be, the people of Hatheg-Kla avoid looking at the remote mistcapped peak. It is said the gods once danced upon the rocky summit, though none can say whether they still do. Certainly Barzai the Wise came here in search of the gods but found only his doom at the hands of the Other Gods. The citizens proclaim the mountain is to be avoided by day, insisting that any ascent involves treacherous chasms, cliffs, and falling stones. At night, the climb is more perilous still as a mist seeps down from the summit and blankets the world in white. It was written by Atal, High-Priest of Ulthar and companion of Barzai, that the ancestors of the men of Hatheg have gazed upon the summit but that their descendants tremble in horror when questioned on the topic. The Pnakotic Manuscripts tell that long before Barzai, the summit was reached only by Sansu (of whom they tell little else) and that the reward for his dramatic ascent was nothing other than to witness a landscape of ice and snow. During the search for doomed Barzai (whose body was never found), the searchers saw a freshly carved rent in the stone at the summit, a curious and terrible sign of titanic scale of elder antiquity from which they fled in terror on deducing the nature of the inhuman hands that chiseled the horrid sign.

Hlanith Mythos Tale: The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath

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Cthulhu Codicil: The Dreamlands Another of the Dreamlands’ maritime trading cities, Hlanith lacks the beauty and fantastical imagery of the Dreamlands’ many metropolises. No wharves of chalcedony or walls of basalt stand here, for the former are constructed from oak and the latter of blocks of granite. Where some cities boast roads of gold or marble, those of Hlanith are rutted from the frequent passage of ox-drawn carts that ferry wares from the numerous bazaars and workshops of the artists, for whom the city is renowned, to the docks. The houses are crowded together in long rows broken only by lanes whose narrow width has preserved the cobbles. Tall though the buildings are, with sharply-peaked roofs and plastered gables, the interiors are low, with black beams running across the ceilings.

Kiran Mythos Tale: The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath Hugging the banks of the River Oukranos, Kiran is renowned for its magnificent temple. Constructed entirely of rare blue jasper, the seven-pinnacled building has a footprint of one acre (43,560 square feet or 4,047 square meters). Faint music and song are sometimes heard from within, but the priests never leave the temple. The locals are unsure whether the music and song are uttered by the priests or the god that inhabits the river and which is said to dwell within the inner shrine, a chamber filled with water diverted from the Oukranos by hidden channels. Save for one, visitors are not welcome inside the temple. Once a year, the King of IlekVad descends from his opal throne and into a golden palanquin that carries him to distant Kiran. A former native of Kiran, the king once dwelt in a small cottage near the riverbank. As a youth, he sat near the water and listened to the song of Oukranos. Never forgetting that haunting melody, nor the promise it whispered in his ear, the king returns each year to hear again the god’s song.

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Kled, Jungles of Mythos Tale: The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath The waters of the Oukranos slither whisperingly past by the cities of Kiran and Thran through the perfumed jungles of Kled. Deep within the tangled vegetation, in a land whose name has slipped from memory, stand palaces of ivory. Carved with images of things related to elephants but far more terrible of form, the palaces have withstood time and climate without mar, for they are under the protection of elder gods. It is said that the monarchs of old who lie inside the temples are not dead, but sleep until awakened from their timeless slumber when the gods call them forth for some unnamed task. The elephant drivers whose caravans wind through the jungle avoid the temples, for there are hideous things set on watch over the sleeping monarchs which brook no trespass.

Oonai Mythos Tale: The Quest of Iranon Beautiful and terrible is Oonai, which lies beyond the Karthian Hills. By day, the drab domes and walls of Oonai are as pale as the wine-sodden citizens who drank and danced away the previous hours of darkness. At night, the city wakes into its title as a city of dancing and lute music. The dull domes are golden by night, lit by harsh and glaring lights that ward off the shadows and pain the eyes. Skilled singers and musicians, though only those who have wooed the revellers, may be asked to stand atop a crystal dais on the mirrored-floor of the palace in which sits the Monarch. Rich is the master of Oonai and generous is his largesse, showering his favorites with satin clothes and jade rings and ivory bracelets. Alas for those given such esteem that the Monarch’s attention is only brief, for the master quickly tires and seeks new entertainment to fill his nights. With the loss of the Monarch’s favor comes the favor of the people, who will never again see that soul in the same way.

Parg Mythos Tale: The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath Little is known of the grasslands and jungles of Parg that lies beyond the River Skai. The few merchants who come seeking the carved ivory crafted by the black-skinned natives tell of small villages of straw huts, rudely carved wooden columns depicting elephantine deities, and the elephant herds from which the natives gather their ivory. Fewer still have heard of the stone city whose ruins can be found in the deep jungle. Straight lines seem shunned in this remote, deserted place, whose great weathered blocks are formed into immeasurable circles spread across many miles. The natives know of the city, but rarely do they venture here, there being nothing there for them save stone, which they do not use in their buildings. Their myths tell of a great queen who once ruled here and that the queen and the city shared the same name—Saba. The people mined the neighboring hills for shiny stones, but when the source of the stones dried up the queen abandoned them for her homeland “beyond the horizon” and the people left to find new lands to settle.

Sunken City Mythos Tale: The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath Two days east and five days south of DylathLeen, on the trading route that crosses from that basalt city to Baharna, is an area of sea feared by superstitious mariners. It is a rare sailor who has never heard of ships vanishing on this stretch of water. Beneath the waves, at a depth where the light of the full moon still reaches, lie the shattered remains of columns and walls, a city whose name is so old that even the Pnakotic Manuscripts do not record its name. Rare features are visible between the jumbled blocks to those of keen eyes—a domed temple to which the faithful were guided by an avenue of sphinxes, a great plaza where

a counting house once stood, statues with wreathed heads. Deep into the suburbs, where otherwise are found only the debris of small houses, stands a singular structure of enormous size, barely discernible beneath a veil of weed. Curiously intact, it has the appearance of a child’s view of a castle seen from above, with a tower with small, round windows in each corner and a central courtyard. Most ghastly of all is the black monolith that rises in the center of that silent courtyard. Tethered on that vast stone by unknown hands are the corpses of sailors, their eyes plucked from their skulls.

Teloth Mythos Tale: The Quest of Iranon Rising from the banks of the sluggish River

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and spirit are the archons. Visitors expecting to stay for more than a single night must prove they have a craft or trade, and be prepared to work at it for no monetary reward, or be apprenticed to a local craftsmen for the duration. Those who refuse, and who dare to make merriment, are charged with blasphemy and expelled from Teloth.

Thran

Zuro is the granite city of Teloth, across whose archaic stone bridge lie the Karthian Hills and the ominous height of Mount Sidrak, which no men dare to scale lest they see the Great Ones, who come here to dance as is their wont. No laughter or song or other merriment echoes through the bleak streets of Teloth, whose dark and stern citizens dwell in square houses without adornment and who have no need for gardens or parks or greenery of any kind. Nor do they care for the words of poets and singers, whose droning has no function. Indeed, the gods of Teloth demand that the people must toil. Ceaseless toil is ultimately its own reward, they say, and it will be rewarded with rest in the next life. Activities such as music and poetry and storytelling profit no one and beauty is a distraction to the senses and mind. Ensuring the laws are obeyed in both letter

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Mythos Tale: The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath The walls of Thran are the mightiest in all the Dreamlands. Monumental in size and width, they were wrought of a single piece of alabaster, though none can say when or by whom. Two hundred turrets, each housing watchful sentries, jut above the impressive battlements, while one hundred gates, each of length to be a tunnel, permit entrance to the metropolis. Not that the large quantity of gates means it is easy to enter Thran. Red-robed sentries guard each portal and demand visitors must recount three dreams beyond belief before they may get inside. In game terms, a dreamer must make three successive Dreamlands Lore rolls (Difficulty 3, 4, and 5 respectively) before being welcomed inside. With room to expand outward hampered by the walls, the citizens of Thran have built upward. Loftier than the outer walls, the alabaster towers with their golden spires reach to the clouds. Only near the marble wharves are there buildings of smaller scale, mostly being warehouses, chandlers, and taverns. While the staff of one tavern scurry to and fro and the patrons engage in conversation, few give more than casual glance to the venerable feline that curls in front of the fire, its tail twitching as it dreams of wars of old and forgotten gods. Too elderly for fighting, it has become something of a sage to its feline kin.

Ulthar Mythos Tale: The Cats of Ulthar, The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath

Gazetteer of the Dreamlands Strange is the geography of the Dreamlands, for whatever route one takes to Ulthar requires one to cross the great bridge over the River Skai, in whose central pier ancient masons placed a living human sacrifice. Ulthar is a quaint village of fenced farms, narrow cobbled streets, and picturesque cottages whose upper floors overhang the streets and whose red-tiled roofs and chimney stacks glow ruddy at dusk and dawn. Two temples stand in Ulthar. The first, the circular Temple of the Elder Gods, stands atop Ulthar’s hill. Here are kept, among other works, the last known copy of the Pnakotic Manuscripts. Only one priest resides in the temple, the venerable Atal (p. 191), who traveled with Barzai the Wise but who did not seek the summit of Hatheg-Kla. The second is the Temple of Cats. A modest building, no humans trespass here, for the sanctuary is sacred to cats and where they alone give worship and make sacrifices. There the cats sit, Sphinx-like in repose, their minds pondering mysteries of which mankind is ultimately ignorant. Cats are given great respect in Ulthar and it has long been the law that no man may harm a cat there (see Old Cottar’s Cottage below). No human agency polices the law, for the cats of Ulthar have their own methods of ridding themselves of those who would anger them.

Casting Shadows At the base of the hill on which the Temple of Elder Gods stands, is a manor constructed in the Georgian style of the waking world. Casting Shadows is home to the last scion of the Boyd family, eccentric aristocrats of old whose wealth came from the shipyards of Nova Scotia, and whose direct male line has withered to a single member, himself without issue. Dreamed into being by the last scion of that decrepit family, a talented dreamer resides there whose Dreamlands’ persona uses the strange name Runeslinger when his waking body is asleep. Here, he sits outside throwing fish to passing cats, pets the many ravens that nest in the manor’s trees, browses his library, whose

piles of books are impressively high and whose contents speak of eldritch lore, or engages in games of chess or philosophical discussion with Atal the High-Priest of Ulthar. Never, though, will he set foot across the great bridge over the River Skai and traffic with those who make their living on the riverbanks.

Old Cottar’s Cottage On the outskirts of Ulthar, its repellent yard shaded by gnarled oaks, is a small cottage. Long has it been deserted, for it has a dark reputation and none in Ulthar will claim it as home. Centuries ago, before it became illegal to harm a cat in Ulthar and aged Atal was only a boy, it was inhabited by a cottar and his wife of whom none in Ulthar speak. A miserable pair of ill-intention and wicked ways, they abhorred cats of all kinds. Many of their neighbors’ cats vanished in the vicinity of the cottage, though none had the stomach to berate them for their wickedness. The last cat they lured into their dingy cottage was a black kitten, the only friend of Menes, a young boy whose family came from distant lands. As the sun set that night, the teary-eyed youth prayed in a strange tongue. One by one, the cats of Ulthar slunk from beside their warm hearths in heed of the prayer. It was a week before the disappearance of the cotters was noticed and a further week before their bones, picked clean of all flesh, were discovered in the cottage.

The Underworld Mythos Tale: The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath Below the sculpted terraces and orchards, cobbled streets, and magnificent cities is another realm, a place of which few Dreamlanders have heard and fewer still have sought. A realm of gray phosphorescence, primal mists, and reeking odors, this is the Underworld. It is a dismal place, the haunt of terrors never-known or long-forgotten, and whose ghastly appearance dreamers know of only in fevered nightmares.

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Cthulhu Codicil: The Dreamlands Kingdom

of the

Gugs

Beneath the Enchanted Forest is the Land of Gugs. Banished long ago for foul practices abhorrent to the gods, here the monstrous inhabitants have constructed lofty, round towers with doorways 30 feet high and inner stairs a yard high. The central tower reaches higher than its peers, its top nestled against the top of the giant cavern the Gugs call home. A massive stone trapdoor in its ceiling would permit the Gugs to once again walk the Enchanted Forest, save for the permanent and potent Sign of Koth barring their way. Not far from the towers lies a cemetery, a secondary cavern from which stairs descend deep into the earth. Ghouls haunt the cemetery, venturing from their warrens in search of recently dead Gugs, for a single specimen of that monstrous race would feed an entire community of ravenous Ghouls for a year or more. Scattered here and there are stone circles raised in honor of Nyarlathotep and the Other Gods. Here the Gugs dance and offer praise to those eldritch deities, whose worship long ago saw the Gugs exiled to the dank depths.

Vaults of Zin The cavernous Zin, which borders the red-litten realm of Yoth in the waking world (see Leagues of Cthulhu), are inhabited by Ghasts, the staple food of the Gugs. Save for the Gugs, whom the Ghasts avoid as much as possible, anything that strays into the vaults is likely to be set upon by the Ghasts. In this world of darkness, the Ghasts give praise before a grotesque statue of indeterminable age, a monstrous toad-like entity whose oozing, formless spawn still inhabit the deepest darkest caves of the Vaults of Zin, and whose presence the Ghasts fear more than the Gugs who prey on them.

Peaks of Throk Towering granite monoliths, the Peaks of Throk rise to heights that make mockery of the

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mountains of the waking world. Their sheer walls cannot be climbed, but in places they part to form tempting valleys through which the unwary may attempt to pass. Sinister and greatly feared are those valleys, though, for in their shadows lurk Bholes.

Plain of Ghouls A vast plain of great boulders and burrows sited above the Vale of Pnoth, the barren wasteland is home to the Ghouls resident in the Dreamlands. The only way out requires one to traverse the labyrinthine warrens, whose nightmarish and mold-ridden tunnels end on a featureless plain on which stand countless funerary relics of the waking world—burial urns, cracked gravestones, and broken monuments that have sunk into the earth and been forgotten by the world dreamers call home. From here, one might discover a route back to the waking world and end the nightmare of venturing across the Underworld. Braver souls may opt to move on to the Land of the Gugs or the distant forgotten city of Sarkomand that lies below Leng, though both destinations are fraught with dangers.

Vale of Pnoth Beyond the Peaks of Throk lies the forbidding immensity of the Vale of Pnoth. Scattered piles of bones line the floor. Some are the gigantic remnants of Gugs dragged from their graves, their flesh consumed by the Ghouls who inhabit the Dreamlands. The smaller bones are more ghastly to dreamers, for they are the discarded remains of meals thrown into deep pits by the Ghouls of the waking world and have a recognizable form. A dreamer may walk that accursed sunless vale for centuries and never find a route out, save for the hideous valleys that pierce the Peaks of Throk and which are guarded by Bholes. All the while their senses must be alert, for the monstrous Bholes crawl silently through the utter blackness in search of prey.

Gazetteer of the Dreamlands Dreamers learned in the geography of the Dreamlands know that their only hope of salvation is to risk contacting the Ghouls, whose homes lie hours of arduous climbing above and which can be reached only by rope ladders lowered by the flesh-hungry fiends.

The Moon Dark Side of the Moon Mythos Tale: The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath Since the earliest times, humans have gazed up at the night sky with wonder at the Moon. It has inspired poets and madmen and scientists, yet were the truth about that celestial body to be all save the lunatics would avert their eyes from the silver orb and pray for the Sun to rise and blot it out from the sky. While the Moon of the waking world is home to the Selenites, that of the Dreamlands conceals a terrible secret. Hidden from the world below, the dark side of the Moon is an abhorrent and profane place. Atop its mountains are time-worn temples of unwholesome size and shape, raised to the glory of vile deities, while on the summits are caves in which dwells a blasphemous avatar of Nyarlathotep (the Haunter of the Dark). To this dark place the Moon Beasts and their torch-bearing servants come to worship on the darkest nights. The cats of Earth and the Dreamlands sometimes come to play on the gray hills and talk with ancient shadows, joining their kin stationed here to watch for incursions of the larger cats of Saturn, who have a treaty with the Moon Beasts. Of vegetation, only two types proliferate. The first are fields of bulbous, leprous fungus near which are circular cottages, broad and low-ceilinged, and without windows. The second are the Moon-Trees that cling to the lower slopes of the mountains but dare not grow nearer to those forgotten but profane temples. A sea, its surface covered with an oily sheen and its waters thick and sluggish, dominates

the landscape. Here the black galleys from the Dreamlands come to rest. Not even the sky is spared from oddness. Even when the Sun shines its face here, the sky is utterly black and the stars shine brightly, the sun a flat disc that sheds no glare.

City of the Moon Beasts The Dark Side of the Moon is populated by the Moon-Beasts, foul creatures who worship Nyarlathotep and the Other Gods. The city begins on the shores of that strange sea, the wharves of porous rock extending far from the shore. Nestled along the shore are windowless warehouses, where prisoners brought by the black galleys are consigned to slavery until it is their time to be nailed in crates and loaded onto wagons, and from where naked Men of Leng, long enslaved by

Cthulhu Codicil: The Dreamlands the Moon-Beasts, are hauled from their cages, robbed with turbans and shoes, and forced onto galleys to serve as merchants. The city proper is a foul place. Windowless towers with gaping, black portals rise high, their form bent and leaning at angles unpleasant to the eyes, and from which emanates a pervasive and perverse odor. In the unhallowed circular chambers inside, away from the sight of others, the Moon Beasts who call these towers home “play” and torture their servants for enjoyment, slicing off succulent slivers from the flesh of still-conscious black-skinned natives of Parg to sate their appetite for flesh.

Shadow Locales Students of the Mythos and Dreamlands are often at odds as to whether certain locations exist in the waking world or the Dreamlands. For instance, the former argue that doomed Sarnath existed on Earth toward the end of the last Ice Age, as did the gray city of Ib and its flabby-lipped inhabitants, Kadatheron with its library of brick cylinders, and Ilarke and Thraa, about which elder lore is mysteriously silent. Similarly, the land of Lothar and the city of Olathoë once occupied parts of modern Greenland. The latter, however, have seen these places in the Dreamlands, or at least have heard the names spoken by wise natives of the realm of Morpheus, for it was from Lothar that the last surviving copy of the Pnakotic Manuscripts was brought to the Dreamlands in ages past. In truth, but parties are correct. Sarnath and its ilk, and hoary Lomar, did once occupy the waking world, though all have been reduced to rubble and consumed by the ages and various dooms. Yet they also exist in the Dreamlands. Although also ruined, their walls, streets, buildings, columns, statues, and temples are in a slightly better state of preservation. The cities are shadows of the waking world, lingering dream memories of the ancient inhabitants and those who visited these elder places. Although known in the Dreamlands,

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they exist far beyond the civilized lands wherein lie Celephaïs and cat-loving Ulthar. Mnar and its toppled cities is said to lie in the far west of the Dreamlands, whereas Lothar can be found in the icy north, near to dreaded Leng. It might also be true that other earthly sites of great antiquity have shadows in the Dreamlands. Is there a trackless desert where a gigantic sphinx eternally gazes at the sunrise, and if so, what do the cats of the Dreamlands know of it? Are the sand-swallowed columns of lost Irem or the timeless megaliths of Stonehenge to be found here? The answers lie in dreams yet undreamt.

Other Places What of the other cities and lands of which Lovecraft wrote? What of the Valley of Narthos by the frigid Xari, where men will not listen to dreams, or Sinara and its drunken dromedary men? What can be told of onyx-walled Jaren, Stethelos beneath the great cataract, or the broad streets of Nir? What too of the builders of the ancient walls whose shattered remains stretch like dotted lines drawn by the hand of giants across the wastelands, or the crumbling temples in whose hoary precincts were once worshipped gods unknown to humans? Since they were not the focus of the stories, Lovecraft spoke of these places only in the vaguest terms and loosest hints. Given this book is supposed detail the Dreamlands, it might seem remiss of the author not to use his imagination to fill in the blanks for you. Leaving such sites out of this chapter was a conscious decision rather than one of space or lack of ideas. What the author might have dreamed and wrote about of mysterious Narthos or enigmatic Nir would be his vision and likely one not shared by all readers. Instead, these cities and lands are left for the individual Gamemaster to discover and explore in their own dreams. As Atal of Ulthar hints, every person has a unique dream world of their own, and this is your opportunity to shape the Dreamlands to your own unique vision.

Chapter Four: Inhabitants of the Dreamlands “For the cat is cryptic, and close to strange things which men cannot see. He is the soul of antique Aegyptus, and bearer of tales from forgotten cities in Meroë and Ophir.” —H. P. Lovecraft, The Cats of Ulthar

inhabitants. No dreams can reach its distant abode outside the universe. Of the many gods of the Dreamlands, only three are noteworthy.

Bast

Gods The rulers of the Dreamlands, in name at least, are the Great Ones. Once, long ago, they visited the Earth, inspiring the myths of the ancient Egyptians and Greeks, and siring children of a heritage that was both of Earth and its Dreamlands. Far from wise and omnipotent, they were petty and childlike, their intelligence below that of the mortals they visited. Long have they abandoned interference in the Dreamlands, and longer still have they ceased to visit the waking world, save in fragmented dreams. While they might deign to answer a prayer spoken aloud in the Dreamlands, they mostly watch from their black fortress on unknown Kadath. Of the Great Old Ones, they either do not know of or do not care for the Dreamlands. Only Nyarlathotep is known here, for he rules the dread castle on Kadath. His relationship with the Great Ones is a mystery. Some claim he is their guardian, protecting the gods from mortals who seek audience. Others insist he is their warden, imprisoning them against interaction with the Dreamlands and waking world. Of the other Great Old Ones, only the name of Azathoth is known by the Dreamlands’

Horror Rating: 5 It is not for humanity to know whether cats, that most secretive of animals, originated in the Dreamlands and found a path to the waking world, or vice versa. In both realms, cats have long been protected by Bast, the catheaded deity of the Egyptian pantheon. While humans have long ceased to pray in her honor, cats have never forgotten her name, nor the ancient rituals to appease her. At least one cult dedicated to Bastet exists in the waking world, but no longer does the goddess answer their calls, At rare times she may deign to converse with them through dreams, at least to those who do not abuse cats. Associated Rituals: Commune Bast, Form of the Beast (cats only), Summon Animals (cats only)

Nodens Horror Rating: — Among all the entities that humanity collectively calls gods, Nodens is the most human in form. Whether he visits in person or in dreams, he appears as an elderly man, with white hair and a gray beard. Appearance is an illusion when it comes to gods, however, and despite

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Cthulhu Codicil: The Dreamlands the weariness on his face he remains a potent and vital entity. Nodens has been associated with the sea since the time of the Celts, whose cult once held power in the waking world. When he responds to mortal calls he does so only on the sea, riding a monstrous seashell chariot pulled by beasts forgotten in human myths. The god despises Nyarlathotep and those that serve him. In his aspect of a hunter, Nodens tracks down and eliminates Nyarlathotep’s minions wherever he encounters them, placing especial attention on the vile Shantak-birds. Within the Dreamlands, only the Nightgaunts give Nodens praise. Few now recall his name in the waking world, but there is a small League named in his honor. Associated Rituals: Call Nodens, Commune Nodens, Summon Night-gaunt

‘Umr At-Tawil Horror Rating: — The exact nature of ‘Umr At-Tawil is something of a mystery. First described by the mad Arab Abdul Alhazred, it is accorded titles such as Guide and Guardian of the Gate, and Most Ancient One. Some scholars of the Mythos have declared it nothing more than an avatar of Yog-Sothoth, for the entities boast similar titles. As with many matters of elder lore, the answer is perhaps forever denied humanity. ‘Umr At-Tawil guards the Ultimate Gate. To step beyond that barrier is to transcend beyond the known universe, into a dimension where space-time are the playthings of beings of unimaginable power and malevolence. Only through the guidance of ‘Umr At-Tawil can one hope to achieve the ultimate goal—to harness that power of travel in time and space. Abdul Alhazred describes the entity whose appearance carries a terrible price for all who witness it. Perhaps the mad Arab had mistaken ‘Umr At-Tawil for Yog-Sothoth, or perhaps he wrote of the horror because he lacked the courage to pass beyond the Ultimate Gate and thus sought to discourage others from surpassing him. Regardless, the entity is humanlike in general form, though its true appearance is concealed beneath heavy, gray robes that prevent

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any attempt to discern its true form. Unlike the Great Old Ones, it radiates no malice or horror, though it is more than possible that seeing beneath its cloak would reveal a form so malignant that a mortal’s mind would shatter like glass struck by a hammer. Associated Rituals: There are no rituals to Call or Commune with ‘Umr At-Tawil. Only those who make the perilous voyage beyond the limit of the Dreamlands may have the honor of standing in its presence.

Horrors Bhole Frequently misnamed “dholes” by dreamers, not even the ghouls who dwell on the sunless slopes above the valleys where the bholes slither and burrow know of their appearance, no creature has witnessed one. Their existence is known only from their slithering as they crawl atop the littering of bones that cover the Vale of Pnoth and from their slimy touch as they move past. Even without sighting one, merely knowing that a bhole is close is enough to terrify dreamers witless, for they are monstrously huge abominations that have a right to exist only in the minds of the most troubled dreamers. Any who must cross the seemingly endless Vale of Pnoth, or any of the valleys towered over by the Peaks of Throk, should avail themselves of multiple torches or lanterns, for bholes creep about only in utter darkness. Reaction to Summoning: The main drawback to summoning a bhole is its aversion to even the faintest light. While the ritual can be invoked anywhere, the caster must be in a place utterly devoid of light if he expects a bhole to answer. In truth, there is little point in summoning a bhole. They are unintelligent creatures, incapable of understanding speech and with only the basest motive—to survive. If one could somehow control one, it would be a potent weapon, capable of demolishing mighty buildings with

Inhabitants of the Dreamlands ease. Due to its abhorrence of light, a bhole would favor tunneling up from beneath the earth, rather than slithering along the surface.

Bhole Follower 2 Archetype: Dreamlands Monster; Motivation: Survival; Style: 0 Primary Attributes: Body 12, Dexterity 2, Strength 12, Charisma 0, Intelligence 0, Willpower 5 Secondary Attributes: Size 8, Move 14, Perception 5, Initiative 2, Defense 6 (10)*, Stun 12, Health 25, Horror 5 Skills: Brawl 17, Stealth 6**, Survival 5 Talents: Direction Sense (Never gets lost), Skill Aptitude (+2 Stealth rating) Resources: — Flaws: Bestial (Cannot speak or use tools) Weapons: Crush 17N * Thick hide grants +4 Passive Defense. ** –8 Size penalty on Stealth rolls.

Ghast Ghasts are an elder race that have long dwelt in the Dreamlands. The size of a small horse and bipedal, they move by leaping using their long, powerful hind legs. They are unwholesome creatures, with faces that hint of human origins, but lack both a nose and forehead, and have yellow-red eyes. Despite no visible nose, they have a keen sense of smell. Although strong and agile, they are cowardly and venomous, favoring strength of numbers when hunting for their favored prey—Gugs and Ghouls. When neither are available, the vile monstrosities turn on each other to sate their ravenous appetites. Ghasts are intelligent, but they are extremely primitive, having not developed even the most rudimentary technology. They are capable of speech, but only in their coarse coughing, laughing tongue. Ghasts are native to the stygian Vaults of Zin. While the true light of the surface world in anathema to them, for it spells instant death, they can endure the gray twilight that filters through

much of the underworld for many hours before having to retreat to their sunless halls. Dreamers will find that while the brighter light of torches and lanterns pains ghasts, it is not truly harmful. Reaction to Summoning: A ghast’s first instinct when summoned is to attack the summoner. A source of light and an intimidating manner should provide safety, but the ghast will certainly be watchful for any signs of weakness.

Ghast Follower 2 Archetype: Dreamlands Monster; Motivation: Survival; Style: 0 Primary Attributes: Body 4, Dexterity 4, Strength 4, Charisma 0, Intelligence 1, Willpower 3 Secondary Attributes: Size 1, Move 8, Perception 4 (8), Initiative 5, Defense 8, Stun 5, Health 9, Horror 4 Skills: Athletics 6, Brawl 8, Stealth 6 (Sneaking 7)*, Survival 5 (Tracking 6) Talents: Jump (Jumping distance is doubled), Keen Sense (+4 Perception with smell) Resources: — Flaws: Very Primitive (–2 penalty on any Skill roll related to technology; +1 Style point whenever its primitive nature hampers it or causes trouble) Weapons: Bite 8L * –1 Size penalty on Stealth rolls. Nocturnal: Ghasts ignore all penalties for darkness. Pained by Light: Ghasts suffer a –2 penalty to all rolls when in light.

Ghoul With their anthropological forms, forwardslumping posture, loping gait, unpleasant rubberiness, and dog-like faces, ghouls are a twisted parody of humans. The origin of ghouls has been much debated by scholars of the Mythos. One theory holds that they are the product of unions between the elder ghasts of the Dreamlands and humans. Certainly there is some similarity between ghouls and ghasts. Another holds that

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Cthulhu Codicil: The Dreamlands ghouls are a primitive offshoot from humanity, distant kin whose evolution was stymied at some ancient time. That ghouls have been known throughout history is clearly evident, for they are the basis of many legends concerning revenants and vampires. It is also possible, perhaps even probable, that the canine-like creatures, which haunt cemeteries and subterranean places, spawned the myths of fierce beasts guarding the underworld. Anubis, the Egyptian god of the dead, was distinctly dog-like, while the hounds Garm and Cerberus prevented mortals from entering the realms of the dead in Norse and Greek mythology. Ghouls are also likely the origin of myths concerning changelings. They have been known to swap their offspring with human babies, raising the latter as their own, while the swapped child grows up in a human environment, at least until its unnatural nature takes hold. Ghouls are the only known race that not only exist in both the waking world and the Dreamlands, but which frequently pass between the two realms physically. That said, they are a subterranean race, seeking solace in the comforting darkness. Their intelligence level is higher than that of ghasts, but they also are a primitive race—even simple weapons such as spears are beyond their ken. Although they are carnivorous, much of their diet comes from corpses scavenged from graveyards or the wounded and dying on battlefields. Not even their own kind is spared the latter. Like ghasts, ghouls are capable of speech. Unlike their cousins, they converse in a meeping and gibbering language. Reaction to Summoning: Ghouls are not adverse to entreating with humans. They are poor combatants, hardly suitable as assassins, but are learned in both the lore of the Mythos and Dreamlands. They are prepared to share their knowledge, but freely do so only if gifted human carrion.

Ghoul Ally 2 Archetype: Dreamlands Monster; Motivation: Survival; Style: 1

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Primary Attributes: Body 3, Dexterity 3, Strength 3, Charisma 1, Intelligence 2, Willpower 3 Secondary Attributes: Size 0, Move 6, Perception 5, Initiative 5, Defense 6, Stun 3, Health 8, Horror 2 Skills: Acrobatics 4, Athletics 5, Brawl 5, Dreamlands Lore 5, Elder Lore: pick one 5, Stealth 7, Survival 4 Talents: Robust (+2 Health rating), Skill Aptitude (+2 Stealth rating) Resources: — Flaws: Very Primitive (–2 penalty on any Skill roll related to technology; +1 Style point whenever its primitive nature hampers it or causes trouble) Weapons: Claws 4L Nocturnal: Ghouls ignore all penalties for darkness.

Gug Swathed in black fur and with short forearms that end in monstrous paws sprouting deadly talons, Gugs stand around 20 feet tall. Two pink eyes protrude from each side of their head, the orbs shaded by bony protuberances overgrown with coarse hair. Their great, toothed maw extends from the top to the bottom of their head and opens vertically. Gugs understand many tongues but have no vocal cords, instead communicating via facial expressions. At best, dreamers must use Empathy to establish any kind of rapport. Not that Gugs have much interest in anything but eating. They are known to hunt Ghasts, but are wary of Ghouls. Unfortunately for dreamers, creatures from the waking world are their preferred prey. Gugs inhabit the subterranean halls of the Dreamlands, their cavernous home located between the Enchanted Wood of the surface and the stygian Vaults of Zin below. Once, they inhabited the surface, but were cast down into the underworld for performing abominable acts. Among the lesser of these evils was the worship of Nyarlathotep. Reaction to Summoning: A Gug’s only response is to try and devour the caster, es-

Inhabitants of the Dreamlands pecially if they are a dreamer. It would take a formidable will, plus some way to convince the creature that the caster can seriously harm it, to bring one to heel.

Gug Follower 2 Archetype: Dreamlands Monster; Motivation: Survival; Style: 0 Primary Attributes: Body 6, Dexterity 2, Strength 5, Charisma 0, Intelligence 1, Willpower 5 Secondary Attributes: Size 2, Move 7, Perception 5, Initiative 3, Defense 6 (8)*, Stun 6, Health 14, Horror 5 Skills: Athletics 8, Brawl 9, Stealth 4**, Survival 5 Talents: Keen Sense (+4 hearing-based Perception rating), Robust (+2 Health rating) Resources: — Flaws: Bestial (Cannot speak or use tools) Weapons: Bite 9L, Claws 10L * Coarse hair grants +2 Passive Defense. ** –2 Size penalty on Stealth rolls.

Hunting Horror Only a mind as alien and malignant as that of Nyarlathotep could conceive of a creature so profane as a Hunting Horror. The abominable fiends are nebulous but tangible, a boiling, black cloud of utter malice and hatred born aloft on ragged, batlike wings, given life only by the will of the Crawling Chaos to serve as his hounds. Wickedly cunning rather than truly intelligent, the only noises they make are the rustling of their wings and a bloodcurdling scream that echoes through the sky like the wailing of a thousand insane souls. Reaction to Summoning: Give a Hunting Horror a target to terrorize and rend, and it will do so to the best of its formidable abilities. Fail, or hesitate too long, and the summoner will become the fiend’s next victim.

Hunting Horror Follower 4

Archetype: Dreamlands Monster; Motivation: Survival; Style: 0 Primary Attributes: Body 6, Dexterity 4, Strength 6, Charisma 0, Intelligence 2, Willpower 5 Secondary Attributes: Size 1, Move 10 (20), Perception 7, Initiative 6, Defense 9, Stun 6, Health 12, Horror 5 Skills: Empathy 5, Intimidation 11, Stealth 8, Survival 7 Talents: Fearsome Attack 3 (Uses Intimidation to attack), Skill Aptitude (+2 Intimidation rating) Resources: — Flaws: Bestial (Cannot speak or use tools) Weapons: Bite 11L * –1 Size penalty on Stealth rolls.

Man of Leng The Men of Leng are a cruel race of cannibals once native to that thrice-accursed northern plateau. Their black galleys are common sights in the great city-ports, where the turban-headed Men of Leng trade rubies for slaves from Parg, who they buy by the pound, and for gold. Save for oddly small feet and wide mouths, the Men of Leng appear human, though of coarse features. Remove their shoes, clothes, and turbans, however, and their inhuman form becomes clearly apparent. Their feet are hooved, small horns protrude from their heads, dwarfish tails stick from the lower end of their spine, and they are covered in light fur. Many dreamers have equated them to satyrs, and it might well be proven one day that the Men of Leng were the nucleus for such mythological creatures. Reaction to Summoning: Men of Leng cannot be summoned.

Man of Leng Follower 2 Archetype: Dreamlands Monster; Motivation: Survival; Style: 0 Primary Attributes: Body 2, Dexterity 3, Strength 3, Charisma 2, Intelligence 2, Willpower 3 Secondary Attributes: Size 0, Move 6, Percep-

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Cthulhu Codicil: The Dreamlands tion 5, Initiative 5, Defense 5, Stun 2, Health 5, Horror — (2 if unmasked) Skills: Athletics 5, Brawl 4, Con 6, Dreamlands Lore 4, Empathy 4, Intimidation 4, Melee 4, Streetwise 4 Talents: Skill Aptitude (+2 Con rating), Skill Aptitude (+2 Streetwise rating) Resources: — Flaws: Bad Reputation (+1 Style point when their bad reputation causes problems) Weapons: Punch 4N, Scimitar 6L

Moon Beast The loathsome, greyish-white, slippery denizens of the Dreamlands’ moon are toadlike in form. Their true size and mass are difficult to judge, for the abominable things can expand and contract at will. Through just the muscles of their limbs, they can perform feats on inhuman strength. Moon Beasts lack eyes, and instead sense the world around them through the mass of short, pink tentacles on the end of their blunt snouts. Like many intelligent species in the Dreamlands, conventional speech is beyond them. Only through the shrill notes of pipes can they converse with other beings. Decadent beyond measure, Moon Beasts lack the barest hint of compassion for other races, seeing them only as potential servants (like the Men of Leng) or sustenance (like the men of Parg). They have little interest in the greater Dreamlands, save as a source of food. Reaction to Summoning: Moon Beasts have little interest in the affairs of other creatures. When summoned, they despatch Men of Leng to meet the caster and learn what he desires. For a fortunate few magicians, their ultimate fate is to be dismissed as an irrelevance. Those who appear weak are more likely to be captured, bound in the hold of a black galley, and transported to the moon to serve as a slave or a meal.

Moon Beast Follower 3 Archetype: Dreamlands Monster; Motivation: Survival; Style: 0

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Primary Attributes: Body 3, Dexterity 2, Strength 6, Charisma 2, Intelligence 3, Willpower 3 Secondary Attributes: Size 1, Move 8, Perception 8, Initiative 5, Defense 8, Stun 3, Health 7, Horror 4 Skills: Athletics 7 (Throwing 8), Brawl 7, Elder Lore: Great Old Ones 4 (Nyarlathotep 5), Intimidation 5, Linguistics 5, Melee 7, Performance 4, Stealth 4* Talents: Alertness (+2 Perception rating), Strong (+1 Strength rating), Strong Defense (Uses Strength for Active Defense) Resources: — Flaws: Semi-Bestial (Cannot speak) Weapons: Punch 0N, Javelin 10L (thrown), Javelin 9L (thrusting) * –1 Size penalty on Stealth rolls. Expand and Contract: Moon Beasts can alter their Size by one point higher or lower at will. This alters their Health rating by the equivalent amount. Sensitive Tentacles: Moon Beasts treat their Stun rating as 1 when struck on the snout (Called Shot with a –8 penalty).

Other God from Outside The Great Old Ones may be the most powerful alien entities in the universe, but there are other gods of lesser power. Aside from the Other Gods, who once set themselves above humanity, there are monstrous creatures collectively known as the Other Gods from Outside (more commonly just the Other Gods). Gigantic and terrible, the blind, mindless, and voiceless entities can be found at the Court of Azathoth, where they dance wildly to the insane piping of the Daemon Sultan’s courtiers, and in Kadath in the Cold Wastes, where they guard the Great Ones against those who seek their wisdom. Lacking sight and reason, the Other Gods may appear harmless, yet they are formidable opponents, swatting and pawing, groping and grasping blindly and wildly at anything they perceive to be close through their other, alien senses. Each is a unique being with its own name,

Inhabitants of the Dreamlands but these are left to the Gamemaster to decide. Rarely, these terrible beings are venerated by cults in the waking world and the Dreamlands. Reaction to Summoning: While animals can be trained to obey and sentient beings can be bargained with for services rendered, the Other Gods have no mind. When summoned, their only instinct is to lash out at whatever is closest—usually one or more sacrifices offered by their insane followers.

Other God from Outside Follower 4 Archetype: Monster; Motivation: Survival; Style: 0 Primary Attributes: Body 13, Dexterity 2, Strength 13, Charisma 4, Intelligence 0, Willpower 5 Secondary Attributes: Size 8, Move 15, Perception 5, Initiative 2, Defense 7, Stun 13, Health 26, Horror 6 Skills: Athletics 18, Brawl 18, Intimidation 11, Stealth 2*, Survival 5 Talents: Fearsome 2 (Temporarily frighten foes), Flurry 2 (Make two attacks at an opponent with no penalty) Resources: — Flaws: Bestial (Cannot speak or use tools), Blind (–8 penalty to attack rolls) Weapons: Various appendages 10L * –8 Size penalty on Stealth rolls. Summoning: The Other Gods have no associated Call or Commune rituals. Rather, they are conjured through the Summon (Other God) ritual in the vein of lesser horrors.

Shantak-bird Larger than elephants and hippocephalic (horse-like head), the winged Shantak-birds are unlike bats or birds in appearance. More akin to wyverns from folklore, slippery scales cover their bodies, while a serpentine tail whips and writhes behind them. Despite their noxious smell and unwholesome mien formed of short tentacles, they are summoned as mounts, especially by cultists of Nyarlathotep, whom they worship in their

primitive way. Not only can they fly through the skies of the Dreamlands and waking world, but Shantak-birds are capable of flight through the outer reaches of space. They are the favored prey of Nodens, whose faceless Night-gaunts cause terror in Shantak-birds. The intelligence of Shantak-birds is limited, but they are capable tittering, rasping speech. Not that they are known for their conversation—much of their speech is reserved to whispering the many names of Nyarlathotep, whom they serve. Reaction to Summoning: The foul-smelling Shantak-birds are accustomed to serving as mounts. Unlike with horses, the rider need only tell the creature the desired location, and then hold on tight as its flaps through the sky.

Shantak-Bird Follower 2 Archetype: Dreamlands Monster; Motivation: Survival; Style: 0 Primary Attributes: Body 6, Dexterity 3, Strength 6, Charisma 0, Intelligence 1, Willpower 3 Secondary Attributes: Size 0, Move 7 (Fly 28), Perception 4, Initiative 2, Defense 6, Stun 5, Health 8, Horror 4 Skills: Brawl 8, Elder Lore: Great Old Ones 4, Stealth 6*, Survival 6 Talents: Fly (Move rating is doubled when flying), Mobile Attack (Move and attack simultaneously) Resources: — Flaws: Semi-Bestial (Cannot use tools) Weapons: Bite 9L, Talons 9L * –2 Size penalty on Stealth rolls. Fear of Night-gaunts: Shantak-birds must make a Willpower x 2 roll (Difficulty 4) when in proximity to Night-gaunts or flee. A rider may use Diplomacy: Leadership, Intimidation: Threats, or Riding: Exotic Animals as a Teamwork bonus to prevent his mount from fleeing in terror.

Spider of Leng Though smaller than the average human, Spiders of Leng are the arch-predator on the

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Cthulhu Codicil: The Dreamlands Plateau of Leng, feared even by the savage humanoids who call the blasted wasteland home. Monstrously bloated compared to waking world spiders, the fanged, purple-hued fiends are typically three to four feet in width (not including the legs), though much larger specimens have been recorded. While more than capable of killing prey larger than themselves using only their fangs, it is their venom that is most feared. Once coursing through their veins, victims have a matter of hours to live as their flesh begins turning necrotic. Reaction to Summoning: Spiders of Leng are predatory animals. In much the same way only a fool would attempt to strike a bargain with a wild lion, only the insane call forth Spiders from Leng to serve as minions. Even if a magician could cower one, the creatures lack the intelligence to understand even the most rudimentary commands.

Spider of Leng Follower 1 Archetype: Dreamlands Monster; Motivation: Survival; Style: 1 Primary Attributes: Body 2, Dexterity 3, Strength 3, Charisma 0, Intelligence 1, Willpower 3 Secondary Attributes: Size –1, Move 6, Perception 4, Initiative 4, Defense 6, Stun 2, Health 4, Horror 4 Skills: Brawl 6, Stealth 8*, Survival 4 Talents: Climb (Doubled climbing speed) Resources: — Flaws: Bestial (Cannot speak or use tools) Weapons: Bite 6L + Venom (Toxin rating 4L, 8 successes required) * +1 Size bonus on Stealth rolls.

Zoog Native to the Enchanted Wood, Zoogs are a secretive and furtive race, seldom leaving their leafy home to explore the wider Dreamlands or the strange realm we call the waking world. The small and brown-skinned Zoogs live in burrows and the trunks of trees. Well-versed

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in obscure secrets of the Dreamlands, Zoogs have, on rare occasion, been known to wander into the waking world. Sightings of them have likely been partially responsible for talk of faeries or “little people.” Zoogs primarily eat fungi, which they harvest from the forest, though they have been known to consume small quantities of meat on special occasions. Typically, the meat is that of kittens. As a result, cats have a deep-seated enmity toward Zoogs that has lasted for millennia. Zoogs are appreciative of those with great wisdom, so much so that their society is ruled by a Council of Sages. The word of these elders is law, and to go against them is to be banished from the Enchanted Wood. Alone, a Zoog has little chance of avoiding marauding cats and being torn limb from limb. Zoogs have their own tongue, a strange fluttering sound that rises and lowers in pitch with the speaker’s mood. Reaction to Summoning: Fearful of being set upon by cats, Zoogs only answer Summon rituals if the magician is in the Enchanted Forest. Lest the summoner be dangerous, the Council of Sages sends only a single delegate. Usually it is an unfortunate Zoog who has offended them in some manner. Only if the Zoog is entirely convinced of the magician’s benevolent nature will it guide them to the Council of Sages.

Zoog Follower 1 Archetype: Dreamlands Monster; Motivation: Survival; Style: 1 Primary Attributes: Body 2, Dexterity 2, Strength 2, Charisma 2, Intelligence 2, Willpower 2 Secondary Attributes: Size –1, Move 4, Perception 4, Initiative 4, Defense 4, Stun 2, Health 4, Horror 2 Skills: Athletics 4, Brawl 4, Dreamlands Lore 6 (Obscure Lore 7), Stealth 4, Survival 4 (Forage 5) Talents: Skill Aptitude (+2 Dreamlands Lore rating) Resources: — Flaws: Semi-Bestial (Cannot use tools) Weapons: Punch 4N * +1 Size bonus on Stealth rolls.

Inhabitants of the Dreamlands Cults Cults of the Other Gods Not even the wisest sage knows how many cults serve the various Other Gods, for the number of perverse deities is immeasurable and their influence is often sly and insidious. What is known is that devoted worshippers can be found in the waking world and the Dreamlands, and likely on worlds humanity has yet to discover. Mindless and voiceless, they work their will through Nyarlathotep, who serves as both their messenger and their soul. In return for loyal service, cultists are favored by Nyarlathotep. The Other Gods have modest goals. Most often, they seek only information concerning dreamers and Dreamlanders who seek the home or the places of revel of the Great Ones. Sometimes information is enough, for the gods are more than capable of handling mere mortals. Sometimes they demand the seeker be destroyed for their audacity. Such are the vagaries of insane gods. Within the Dreamlands, true cults are rare, especially those focused on a single Other God. Typically, their worshippers are solitary in their veneration, unaware of who else around them might serve the same twisted masters.

Nhygo the Broker A native of Dylath-Leen, Nhygo works as a broker for merchants seeking to buy and sell cargoes at the best rates. His beaming smile, colorful robes, and excessive amounts of jewelry make him stand out from the crowd, but it is his jovial nature and reputation that draw customers to his office near the wharves. It is commonly known that Nhygo can find a supplier for anything, if the price is right. Nhygo has long served the Other Gods, passing them information regarding dreamers who cross his path through the Crawling Chaos. Aside from burning incense and muttering a few prayers, he does not consider himself a

cultist. In his eyes, he is a businessman engaging with customers—customers who pay very well for his services. Sooner or later, dreamers seeking some exotic object or obscure information will be pointed in Nhygo’s direction. The broker may come to like the globetrotters, welcoming them into his circle of friends. Friendship will never get in the way of acquiring more wealth, however. Although he lacks the courage, not to mention the skill, to murder dreamers on the orders of his otherworldly masters, he knows people quite prepared to perform such an act for a few coins. Equally, he is known to many masters of the feared black galleys who would be more than happy to take possession of new slaves. Patron 2 Archetype: Businessman; Motivation: Greed; Style: 2 Primary Attributes: Body 2, Dexterity 4, Strength 2, Charisma 4, Intelligence 3, Willpower 3 Secondary Attributes: Size 0, Move 6, Perception 6, Initiative 7, Defense 6, Stun 2, Health 5, Sanity — Skills: Bureaucracy 6, Con 7, Diplomacy 7, Dreamlands Lore 5, Empathy 5, Spying 6, Streetwise 7 (Black Market 8, Rumors 8) Talents: — Resources: Contacts 1 (Black Market; +2 bonus), Fame 1 (Can get things done; +2 Social bonus), Status 1 (Broker; +2 Social bonus) Rituals: Commune Nyarlathotep Flaws: Secret (+1 Style point if he is confronted with the truth or goes out of his way to protect the secret) Weapons: Punch 0N

Order of the One Mind In whatever passes as eyes in Nyarlathotep’s many and varied forms, the Dreamlands in an abomination, a realm of beauty, wonder, and hope. Unable to affect the Dreamlands in person, the Crawling Chaos has elected to destroy dreamers, for without dreams the Dreamlands cannot exist. With the Dreamlands destroyed, or at least

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Cthulhu Codicil: The Dreamlands isolated from the waking world, humanity will have little choice but to exist only in the mundane, its collective soul crushed, its hopes and aspirations forever abandoned in place of compliance. Without imagination there will be no art or beauty, no sudden breakthroughs in science. There will be only existence without purpose. The entirety of humanity will become drones, toiling for the sole benefit of the few who rule in the name of Nyarlathotep. Through this one mind, so higher-ranked cultists believe, they will guide humanity into the future. Nyarlathotep’s true endgame remains a mystery for now, for the Messenger of the Great Old Ones does not share its true vision with mere puppets and stooges.

Natalie Jones Jones never knew the name of the drug-addled tramp who sat on the corner of her street, but she sat enraptured as he spoke of a wondrous land found only in his dreams. By day, she failed to capture his words in prose and poetry, as she lacked the imagination to do them justice. By night, she inhaled the fragrant aroma of the dream-poppy and willed herself to enter the Dreamlands, but she glimpsed not a sign of that strange land. When she did dream, her thoughts were of mundane things. Desire turned to frustration, frustration to anger, and anger to hate. Thus the seeds of darkness within her soul grew to maturity, leaving her ripe for the twisted words of Nyarlathotep. Jones isn’t an assassin. Posing as an author in search of new stories, she serves the Order by locating true dreamers, hunting them down through rumors in artistic circles and the records of lunatic asylums. Once convinced they are a true dreamer, she alerts the lesser members of the Order, those prepared to commit murder without question in return for the favor of Nyarlathotep. Patron 2 Archetype: Failed Artist; Motivation: Destruction; Style: 2 Primary Attributes: Body 3, Dexterity 3, Strength 3, Charisma 3, Intelligence 3, Willpower 3 Secondary Attributes: Size 0, Move 6, Percep-

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tion 6, Initiative 6, Defense 6, Stun 3, Health 6, Sanity — Skills: Alienism 5 (Psychology 6), Art: Writing 4, Athletics 5, Con 8 (Lies 9), Elder Lore: Great Old Ones 4 (Nyarlathotep 5), Firearms 4, Investigation 5, Linguistics 5, Spying 5, Streetwise 5 (Rumors 6) Talents: Combat Aptitude (Exchange attack and Defense dice), Natural Leaders (Can boost Allies as if it were a Talent), Skill Aptitude (+2 Con rating) Resources: Status 2 (Order of the One Mind; +2 Social bonus)* Flaws: Addiction (–2 penalty on all rolls until she sobers up or overcomes her addiction; +1 Style point whenever her addiction hurts her or someone she cares about), No Imagination (+1 Style point whenever her lack of imagination causes serious problems for her) Weapons: Punch 0N, Light revolver 6L * She has a bonus Resource from her Status for the Gamemaster to assign.

Typical Member Typical cultists are an unimaginative lot, content to live in the drab, humdrum reality that is the waking world. Few know the Dreamlands actually exist, believing instead that they are the harbingers of death for those who rebel against the established order—anarchists, freethinkers, and the like. Ally 1 Archetype: Everyman; Motivation: Destruction; Style: 1 Primary Attributes: Body 2, Dexterity 2, Strength 2, Charisma 2, Intelligence 2, Willpower 2 Secondary Attributes: Size 0, Move 4, Perception 4, Initiative 4, Defense 4, Stun 2, Health 4, Sanity — Skills: Athletics 4, Brawl 4, Firearms 4, Melee 4, Stealth 4 Talents: — Resources: Status 1 (Order of the One Mind; +2 Social bonus) Flaws: No Imagination (+1 Style point whenever their lack of imagination causes serious problems for them or their allies) Weapons: Punch 4N, Heavy revolver 7L

Inhabitants of the Dreamlands Notable Persons Atal The son of a humble innkeeper, Atal was apprenticed to Barzai the Wise, the wise man who sought to find the old gods and was never seen again or mourned by Atal. Before his fateful voyage, Barzai whispered many secrets to his protégé, including the knowledge of where black cats go on St. John’s Eve. Now High Priest of Ulthar, and with three centuries of life and learning behind him, Atal is regarded as the wisest inhabitant of the Dreamlands. While his flesh is weary, his mind remains as keen as ever, and he has never forgotten a single fact he has learned. Such is his depth of knowledge that he can forecast the weather for days ahead with a casual glance at the skies and tell the time without needing to see the skies above. It is fair to say that while Atal knows much, there are equally things of which he will not speak, for there are dangers in the Dreamlands that should be avoided at all costs.

Resources*: Status 3 (High Priest; +4 Social bonus) Flaws: Elderly (–2 penalty to any roll where strength, speed, or endurance is a factor; +1 Style point whenever his age slows him down or she is taken advantage of because of it) Weapons: Punch 0N * Atal has a bonus Resource from his Status for the Gamemaster to assign.

Captain of the White Ship Known only by his title, the master of the White Ship is a robed and bearded man of indeterminate years. An enigmatic figure who speaks nothing of his homeland or past, he and his crew have sailed the waters of the Dreamlands and waking world in equal measure, and gleaned much lore concerning the remote lands of both realms. There is only one place he has not, and indeed will not, travel—beyond the Basalt Pillars of the West, wherein lies an impenetrable mist. While it is said the fabled Land of Cathuria lies far beyond their border, there is nothing beyond them for men but terror and death in equal measure.

Atal

Captain of the White Ship

Patron 3 Archetype: Clergyman; Motivation: Truth; Style: 3 Primary Attributes: Body 2, Dexterity 3, Strength 2, Charisma 4, Intelligence 5, Willpower 5 Secondary Attributes: Size 0, Move 5, Perception 10, Initiative 8, Defense 7, Stun 2, Health 7, Sanity 5 Skills: Academics: Philosophy 8, Bureaucracy 6, Con 6, Diplomacy 6, Dreamlands Lore 8, Empathy 7 (Motives 8), Elder Lore: Great Old Ones 8, Investigation 7, Linguistics 7, Streetwise 6 (Rumors 7) Talents: Calculated Defense (Uses Intelligence for Active Defense), Time Sense (Always knows the time), Total Recall (Never forgets a fact), Weather Sense (Knows coming what weather is coming)

Patron 2 Archetype: Explorer; Motivation: Truth; Style: 1 Primary Attributes: Body 4, Dexterity 3, Strength 3, Charisma 3, Intelligence 2, Willpower 3 Secondary Attributes: Size 0, Move 6, Perception 5, Initiative 5, Defense 7, Stun 4, Health 7, Sanity 6 Skills: Athletics 5, Brawl 4, Diplomacy 5, Dreamlands Lore 5 (Places 6), Expeditions 5, Linguistics 5, Pilot: Nautical 8 (The White Ship 9), Streetwise 5 Talents: Acclimated (Can resist extreme temperatures for longer), Skill Aptitude (+2 Pilot: Nautical rating) Resources: Status 1 (Ship captain; +2 Social bonus) Flaws: Loyal (+1 Style point whenever his

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Cthulhu Codicil: The Dreamlands unswerving loyalty to his crew causes trouble for himself or his companions) Weapons: Punch 4N

High-Priest Not to be Described The sole inhabitant of the prehistoric, windowless monastery and keeper of the pharos that stands on the Plateau of Leng, the HighPriest Not to be Named is an enigmatic figure, mysterious even to the Men of Leng who bow and scrape in its timeless service. Clad in loose robes of yellow silk figured with red, its face concealed by a silk mask of the same colors, nothing is known concerning the High-Priest’s form. A most intelligent being, whose knowledge of the Dreamlands and Mythos runs deep, the High-Priest bows to no-one save its deity—the Yellow King avatar of Nyarlathotep. Despite its knowledge of many tongues, some of which have not be spoken in the waking worlds for millions of years, the High-Priest speaks only through using an ivory flute. Reaction to Summoning: The High-Priest cannot be summoned.

High-Priest Not to be Described Patron 3 Archetype: Dreamlands Clergyman; Motivation: Faith; Style: 3 Primary Attributes: Body 4, Dexterity 2, Strength 4, Charisma 3, Intelligence 4, Willpower 4 Secondary Attributes: Size 0, Move 6, Perception 8, Initiative 6, Defense 6, Stun 4, Health 8, Horror 2 Skills: Dreamlands Lore 8, Elder Lore: Creatures 7, Elder Lore: Great Old Ones 7 (Nyarlathotep 8), Empathy 8, Intimidation 12 (Threats 12), Linguistics 6 Talents: Fearsome 3 (Can frighten foes) Resources: Artifact 0 (Incense Cones, Type I), Artifact 0 (Powder of Ibn Ghazi), Status 1 (High-Priest of Leng; +2 Social bonus) Rituals: Call Nyarlathotep (Yellow King avatar),

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Commune Nyarlathotep (Yellow King avatar), Harm, Mark of Madness, Mark of Withering, Summon Hunting Horror, Summon Other God, True Name of Azathoth Flaws: Inscrutable (+1 Style point whenever it is misunderstood or its mysterious motives cause trouble) Weapons: Punch 0N

Kuranes Lord of Ooth-Nargai and the Sky around Serranian, and chief god and king of Celephaïs, the man known as Kuranes was born of the waking world. Raised in Cornwall, England, Kuranes was a dreamer. His ancestral lands and wealth spent, and caring little for the ugly reality around him, Kuranes became a recluse, content to dream of beauty and wonder though use of drugs. An ardent explorer of the Dreamlands and beyond, he alone has stood in the court of Azathoth and returned with his mind intact, though it not an experience he desires again. His life in the Dreamlands, should he wish it, is one of marvelous pageants, endless festivities, and excitements lesser men can envisage only in their dreams. Yet Kuranes craves not these delights. Power, wealth, privilege—all these Kuranes would gladly abandon to return the land of his youth for but a single day. Alas, Kuranes can no longer enter the waking world, for his once-self is dead, the drugaddled hobo having stumbled to his death over a cliff. Vital and majestic, Kuranes has cast aside the trappings of kingship, spending his days clad in a common dressing gown in his small manor house, gazing over the relentless waves that pound the shore beneath and thinking fondly of the green hills of Cornwall, forever now beyond his grasp.

Kuranes Patron 3 Archetype: Aristocrat; Motivation: Justice; Style: 3 Primary Attributes: Body 4, Dexterity 3,

Inhabitants of the Dreamlands Strength 3, Charisma 4, Intelligence 3, Willpower 4 Secondary Attributes: Size 0, Move 6, Perception 7, Initiative 6, Defense 7, Stun 4, Health 8, Sanity 8 Skills: Academics: Law 6, Academics: Philosophy 6, Art: Writing 5, Bureaucracy 6, Connoisseur 4, Diplomacy 6, Dreamlands Lore 8, Empathy 6, Linguistics 6, Streetwise 6 Talents: Inspire (Grant allies a +2 bonus), Natural Leader (Can boost Allies Resource as if a Talent), Skill Aptitude (+2 Dreamlands Lore rating), Well-Connected (Can boost Contacts rating as if a Talent) Resources: Status 5 (King; +8 Social bonus)* Flaws: Malaise (+1 Style point whenever his lethargy causes him to lose an opportunity or give up an advantage) Weapons: Punch 0N * Kuranes has two bonus Resources from his Status for the Gamemaster to assign.

Nasht & Kaman-Thah High lords of the Cavern of Flame and guardians of the entrance to the Dreamlands, Nasht and Kaman-That have stood vigil since the formation of the Dreamlands in an age long before the recorded history of humanity. That they are priests is known to any dreamer who stands before them, and yet which deities they honor remains unknown. Perhaps they honor the Great Ones, whose interest in the affairs of others have long since ended. As guardians of the Dreamlands, their muttered prayers, spoken only in each other’s company, are only to Morpheus, the Great One who once sent dreams into the waking world. Clad in archaic robes, sporting beards of the kind not seen on Earth since the days of Sumer’s glory, and wearing crowns of a style was borne by the pharaohs of Egypt, they have the power to deny dreamers access to the Dreamlands by sending their dreams back to the waking world. Dreamers they deduce are unworthy of the Dreamlands, such as those with violence or cruelty in their hearts, are banished from the Dreamlands forever. Most dreamers they

welcome, silently nodding their acquiescence of passage, and speaking only when asked a question. Of the Dreamlands, there is little they do not know, save for the location of Kadath in the frozen north and where the old gods dance and sing merrily.

Nasht & Kaman-Thah Patron 2 Archetype: Dreamlands Clergyman; Motivation: Duty; Style: 2 Primary Attributes: Body 2, Dexterity 2, Strength 2, Charisma 4, Intelligence 4, Willpower 4 Secondary Attributes: Size 0, Move 4, Perception 8, Initiative 6, Defense 6, Stun 2, Health 8, Sanity N/A Skills: Academics: Philosophy 7, Academics: Religion 7 (Great Ones 8), Diplomacy 7, Dreamlands Lore 11, Empathy 8 (Motives 9), Linguistics 7 Talents: Calculated Defense (Use Intelligence for Active Defense), Robust (+2 Health rating), Skill Aptitude (+2 Dreamlands Lore rating) Resources: Status 1 (Priests; +2 Social bonus) Flaws: Code of Conduct (+1 Style point whenever they convince others to follow their code of conduct) Weapons: Punch 0N

Lesser Persons Burghers of Ulthar Old Kranon Burgomaster of Ulthar, Old Kranon, albeit with guidance from Atal, has ruled Ulthar wisely and justly for as long as anyone can remember. Certainly he was in post when the rule banning the killing of cats was enacted, an event almost three centuries old by the standards of the Dreamlands.

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Cthulhu Codicil: The Dreamlands Patron 1 Archetype: Government Official; Motivation: Duty; Style: 1 Primary Attributes: Body 2, Dexterity 2, Strength 2, Charisma 3, Intelligence 3, Willpower 3 Secondary Attributes: Size 0, Move 4, Perception 6, Initiative 5, Defense 4, Stun 2, Health 5, Sanity 6 Skills: Academics: Law 8, Bureaucracy 5, Diplomacy 6, Dreamlands Lore 6, Empathy 5, Performance 5 Talents: Skill Aptitude (+2 Academics: Law rating) Resources: Status 3 (Burgomaster; +4 Social bonus) Flaws: Elderly (–2 penalty to any roll where strength, speed, or endurance is a factor; +1 Style point whenever his age slows him down or she is taken advantage of because of it), Judgmental (+1 Style point whenever his swift judgments cause trouble) Weapons: Punch 0N * Old Kranon has a bonus Resource from his Status for the Gamemaster to assign.

Nith the Notary Dreamers needing binding contracts or deeds drawn up or witnessed are advised to consult with Nith, Ulthar’s notary. Skinny but of robust health, Nith is a stickler for bureaucratic rules, for his name is well known and he has no wish to see his good name besmirched by sloppy work. Ally 2 Archetype: Everyman; Motivation: Honor; Style: 1 Primary Attributes: Body 2, Dexterity 3, Strength 2, Charisma 3, Intelligence 3, Willpower 2 Secondary Attributes: Size 0, Move 5, Perception 5, Initiative 6, Defense 5, Stun 2, Health 6, Sanity 5 Skills: Academics: Law 6, Bureaucracy 8, Diplomacy 5, Empathy 5, Streetwise 6 Talents: Robust (+2 Health rating) Resources: Status 1 (Notable citizen; +2 Social bonus) Flaws: Code of Conduct (+1 Style point

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whenever they convince others to follow their code of conduct), Skinny (–2 penalty to any roll where strength or toughness is a factor; +1 Style point whenever his weak physique causes difficulty) Weapons: Punch 0N

Shang the Blacksmith Ulthar’s burly blacksmith is renowned locally for his prodigious strength as much as his skill at the forge. A jocular fellow with a booming voice, he is a favorite of children, who beg to be carried on his broad, muscular shoulders. Ally 2 Archetype: Everyman; Motivation: Duty; Style: 1 Primary Attributes: Body 3, Dexterity 2, Strength 5, Charisma 2, Intelligence 2, Willpower 2 Secondary Attributes: Size 0, Move 7, Perception 4, Initiative 4, Defense 5, Stun 3, Health 5, Sanity 4 Skills: Athletics 7, Brawl 7, Craft: Blacksmithing 7, Diplomacy 4, Gambling 4, Streetwise 4 Talents: Strong (+1 Strength rating) Resources: Status 1 (Notable citizen; +2 Social bonus) Flaws: Obvious (+1 Style point whenever he fails to conceal his motives or draws negative attention to himself) Weapons: Punch 7N

Thul the Stonecutter A master mason, Thul carved the stones that make up the circular Temple of the Elder Ones and the engravings that adorn its interior, and more than one noble villa boasts a marble statue carved by his rough hands. Thul was witness to the cats’ vengeance on the evil cotters who terrorized Ulthar’s felines of old, and has never forgotten the sight of their cleanly picked bones. Although he has never harmed a cat, nor has wish to do so, the terror of what cats can do if angered has made him fearful of the enigmatic creatures. Ally 2 Archetype: Everyman; Motivation: Duty; Style: 1

Inhabitants of the Dreamlands Primary Attributes: Body 3, Dexterity 3, Strength 3, Charisma 2, Intelligence 2, Willpower 2 Secondary Attributes: Size 0, Move 6, Perception 4, Initiative 5, Defense 6, Stun 3, Health 5, Sanity 4 Skills: Art: Sculpture 5 (Marble 6), Athletics 4, Craft: Stonemasonry 7, Diplomacy 4, Ride 4 (Vehicles 5), Science: Geology 4, Streetwise 4 Talents: Skill Aptitude (+2 Craft: Stonemasonry rating) Resources: Status 1 (Notable citizen; +2 Social bonus) Flaws: Phobia: Cats (–2 penalty on all rolls until his is able to get away; +1 Style point whenever his fear gets the better of him) Weapons: Punch 0N

Zath the Coroner Old Kranon’s right hand man in matters of law, Zath has loyally served Ulthar for decades, having taken up the post after his father’s death. For a coroner, he has a loose tongue. Ally 2 Archetype: Everyman; Motivation: Duty; Style: 1 Primary Attributes: Body 2, Dexterity 3, Strength 2, Charisma 3, Intelligence 3, Willpower 2 Secondary Attributes: Size 0, Move 5, Perception 5, Initiative 6, Defense 5, Stun 2, Health 4, Sanity 5 Skills: Academics: Law 8, Bureaucracy 6, Diplomacy 5, Empathy 5, Investigation 6, Streetwise 5 Talents: Skill Aptitude (+2 Academics: Law rating) Resources: Status 1 (Notable citizen; +2 Social bonus) Flaws: Gossip (+1 Style point whenever he spreads gossip that inadvertently causes trouble) Weapons: Punch 0N

Knight of Celephaïs Protectors of the benevolent King Kuranes (see above) and guardians of the magnificent

city of Celephaïs dreamed into existence by that most potent of dreamers before he left behind the waking world forever, the knights are the most powerful military force in the Dreamlands—not that their master has set his sights on conquest. Clad in shining armor that does not hamper their movement and cloth-of-gold tabards emblazoned with curious sigils and signs, each rides a roan mount. The knights command the ability to enter the waking world, but do so only on the rarest of occasions and with restrictions they cannot bend or break—they may only enter at dusk and return home at dawn. As they ride through the waking world, they exist as a blur caught only in the peripheral vision to mortals, save those who have visited the Dreamlands before. Any mortal in their strange company sees reality give away to the perceptions of the knights, with modern streets and buildings giving way to narrow cobbled roads and leaning townhouses of a time several centuries ago, and castles shattered by cannon and weather by time returned to their splendor of old.

Knight of Celephaïs Ally 1 Archetype: Soldier; Motivation: Duty; Style: 1 Primary Attributes: Body 2, Dexterity 2, Strength 2, Charisma 2, Intelligence 2, Willpower 2 Secondary Attributes: Size 0, Move 4, Perception 4, Initiative 4, Defense 4 (7)*, Stun 2, Health 4, Sanity 4 Skills: Athletics 4, Brawl 4, Intimidation 4, Melee 4, Ride 4 Talents: Parry (Can Parry as reflexive action) Resources: Rank 1 (Knight of Celephaïs; +2 Social bonus) Flaws: Loyal (+1 Style point whenever their unswerving loyalty to their king, city, and comrades causes trouble for themselves or their companions) Weapons: Punch 4N, Sword 7L * Knights wear armor that grants them +3 Passive Defense.

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Cthulhu Codicil: The Dreamlands Animals Cat of Ulthar Despite appearances, the cats of Ulthar are not ordinary felines. For a start, they are intelligent creatures. They understand the common tongue of the Dreamlands, but speak only in their own language (which must be learned through Dreamlands Lore). Some wear collars, but these are not signs of ownership. Rather, they are indicators of rank, for the cats of Ulthar have a hierarchy of their own. Like their lesser kin, they know many secrets. They know secret paths that lead to the moon, where they leap around the hills and converse with ancient shadows and their kin who inhabit the Dreamlands of other worlds. They know ways to enter the waking world, where they converse with their earthly kin and yowl in memory of the time when cats were worshipped as gods and howl of the time when their cousins were persecuted by fanatical witch hunters. Dreamers who befriend the cats of Ulthar have access to their gossip network, for cats hear much though are loathe to speak to outsiders. Ask for information, and the cats will rapidly spread the word among the kin, with messages racing across the Dreamlands from cat to cat. Given time, their messages will filter through to the waking world. Individually, a cat of Ulthar is little threat to a dreamer—its bites and clawing no more deadly than the standard house cats that curl in front of countless fires, their eyes reflecting the flickering flames as they ponder things far beyond the ken of humans and their limited insight into the universe. Gathered as a host, however, they are a formidable force, as the cruel cotters of the deserted cottage in Ulthar who dared to kill a kitten learned to their cost.

Cat of Ulthar Follower 1

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Archetype: Dreamlands Animal; Motivation: Survival; Style: 0 Primary Attributes: Body 1, Dexterity 4, Strength 1, Charisma 2, Intelligence 2, Willpower 2 Secondary Attributes: Size –2, Move 5 (10)*, Perception 4, Initiative 6, Defense 7, Stun 1, Health 1, Sanity 4 Skills: Acrobatics 5, Brawl 3, Dreamlands Lore 4, Stealth 7**, Streetwise 4, Survival 4 Talents: Flurry (Can make two attacks at –2) Resources: — Flaws: Semi-Bestial (Cannot use tools) Weapons: Bite 3L, Claws 3L

Lorekeeper These elderly cats are entrusted with memorizing the history and customs of their kind and imparting their wisdom to generations of young kittens. They use the same statistics as above except for their Skills, which are as follows. Skills: Brawl 3, Diplomacy 4, Dreamlands Lore 6 (History 7), Stealth 7**, Streetwise 5 (Rumors 6)

Cat Officer Patron 1 Archetype: Dreamlands Aristocrat; Motivation: Duty; Style: 1 Primary Attributes: Body 1, Dexterity 5, Strength 1, Charisma 3, Intelligence 2, Willpower 3 Secondary Attributes: Size –2, Move 6 (12)*, Perception 5, Initiative 7, Defense 8, Stun 1, Health 2, Sanity 6 Skills: Acrobatics 6, Athletics 4, Brawl 6, Diplomacy 5, Dreamlands Lore 4, Intimidation 5, Stealth 8**, Streetwise 4, Survival 4 Talents: Finesse Attack (Uses Dexterity with Brawl), Flurry (Can make two attacks at –2) Resources: Status 1 (Chief; +2 Social bonus) Flaws: Semi-Bestial (Cannot use tools) Weapons: Bite 3L, Claws 3L * Creatures with four or more legs double their Move rating when running. ** Cats of Ulthar have a +2 Size bonus to Stealth rolls.

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CTHULHU HAS RISEN & TERRIFYING SECRETS SHALL BE REVEALED! Are you ready to step beyond reality and explore the profane lore eldritch Great Old Ones and the wonders of the Dreamlands? The Cthulhu Codicil adds a wealth of new material to Leagus of Cthulhu, the award-winning game of the Lovecraft Mythos set in the late Victorian Age. But be warned, for once seen, the elder lore inside this book can never be unlearned. Step across the tenuous border of reality and inside you’ll find: New bloodline Talents and a trio of Leagues A plethora of rituals, tomes, locations, and dread horrors Expanded dvice for playing in the Lovecraft Mythos. A detailed exploration of the mystical Dreamlands, including rules for dreamers and altering the landscape of the Dreamlands, rituals and tomes unique to that fabled land, a complete gazetteer, and a bestiary of its notable human and inhuman denizens.

Cthulhu Codicil is a supplement for the award-winning Leagues of Cthulhu and is part of the Ubiquity-powered Leagues of Adventure line.

www.tripleacegames.com © 2019 Triple Ace Games Ltd. Leagues of Cthulhu and all related marks and logos are trademarks of Triple Ace Games Ltd. Ubiquity Roleplaying System, Exile Games Studio, and all associated logos and trademarks are copyright, Exile Games Studio, LLC. Used with permission